Count the crew of "Fox NFL Sunday" among the many vocal critics of Aaron Rodgers following the quarterback's public stance on the COVID-19 vaccine.
Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan and Howie Long all teed off on the Packers signal-caller during their Sunday pregame show at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Their critiques ranged from Rodgers' use of a Martin Luther King Jr. quote, to the responsibility he has to his team and teammates, to his verbal workaround when asked whether he was vaccinated.
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Bradshaw was particularly stinging in his rebuke of Rodgers, particularly for his use of the word "immunized" when the latter was asked in August whether he had been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Many — including the cast of the Fox crew — criticized his choice of words as deliberately deceitful.
“I’ll give Aaron Rodgers some advice,” Bradshaw said on the telecast. “It would have been nice if he had just come to the Naval Academy and learned how to be honest. Learned not to lie. Because that’s what you did, Aaron. You lied to everyone. I understand ‘immunized.’ What you were doing was taking stuff that would keep you from getting COVID-19. You got COVID-19.
"Ivermectin is a cattle dewormer. Sorry, folks, that’s what it is. We are a divided nation politically. We are a divided nation on the COVID-19, whether or not to take the vaccine. And unfortunately, we’ve got players that pretty much think only about themselves. And I’m extremely disappointed in the actions of Aaron Rodgers.”
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Strahan also chastised Rodgers' use of an MLK quote during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show."
"Well another thing I would say," Strahan said. "Probably there are times to quote Martin Luther King. And this was not one of them, as well."
Johson and Long expressed respect that the issue is a matter of personal choice, but followed that up by saying that the choice to become vaccinated is no longer a personal matter when other people — such as his teammates and their families — are involved.
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Below is the segment in question.
The discussion on FOX about the Rodgers situation
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 7, 2021
Jimmy: "I'm disappointed in his selfish actions."
Howie: "Possibly putting your teammates in jeopardy is selfish."
Terry: "Let me give Rodgers some advice, it be nice if he came to the Navel academy and learn how to be honest." pic.twitter.com/O9rT6kDNXm
Due to Rodgers' unvaccinated status, he is out for the Packers' Week 9 game at the Chiefs, and is eligible to return no sooner than Nov. 13, the day before Green Bay takes on the Seahawks in Week 10.
