'I didn't bow down to the medical industrial complex': Aaron Rodgers hits back at 'puppet' journalists who still attack him

NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers spoke out against journalists who criticized him for a taking up a roster spot on his team, the New York Jets, despite being injured. The four-time NFL MVP also alleged that journalists who continually criticize him are often the same ones who took issue with his stance against the COVID-19 vaccine.

Pro Football Talk creator and editor in chief Mike Florio is an example of a journalist who may have jumped the gun on Rodgers' roster spot controversy. On December 20, 2023, Florio wrote that "Rodgers’s desire to be on the practice field cost a teammate his job."

"To make room for Rodgers on the 53-man roster, the Jets waived veteran fullback Nick Bawden. If Rodgers didn’t want to keep practicing, the Jets wouldn’t have had to release a player," Florio claimed. Bawden was later re-signed, with Rodgers stating that his preference was to remain on the injured list, but he was overruled by management.

"The same people who are criticizing me or coming up with these conspiracies about my injury, before they talk, let's go back to 2021 and let's make people say their vax status to start," Rodgers told former NFL punter Pat McAfee on "The Pat McAfee Show."

"That'll frame all these comments in the right window. ... Let's have them say, 'Hey, I'm so-and-so, double vaxxed with Pfizer and triple boosted. And my opinion about this is this guy's a bad guy because he just wanted to practice and took money away.' Then at least you'd know, and everybody could know at that point that they have their puppet masters who are puppeteering them to say this certain thing about this guy and that they're still upset about the fact that I believe in medical freedom. So it's the same tired narrative."

At least one journalist took Rodgers up on his offer. Fox Sports 1 commentator Nick Wright declared he has two COVID-19 vaccinations but no boosters and said that criticisms of the Super Bowl champion were not because of his vaccine status but rather his attitude.

"Aaron Rodgers is the most disingenuous athlete of my lifetime," Wright said. The analyst went on to say that Rodgers had been disingenuous about his potential retirement, as well as about his vaccine status when he openly stated that he had been "immunized."

Rodgers reasserted to McAfee, however, that journalists are still mad that he didn't bow down to the medical establishment.

"They're still mad I'm covid MVP. Not just the two MVP's that I won but also I didn't bow down to the medical industrial complex and the mass formation psychosis and I decided to make a decision that was in the best interest of my health," Rodgers explained. "They're still trying to get their jabs in. Have another jab while you're at it."

"I don't know if they'll do that," McAfee replied. "What'd you say, 'mass formation psychosis?'" he then asked.

"Yeah, that's a good one, look that one up," Rodgers jokingly clarified.

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