Aaron Rodgers should be disciplined for violating NFL COVID protocols

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

Passionate sport fans never make good Judges, Juries and/or Executioners when it comes to sentencing wayward athletes and teams.

To paraphrase a quip from Jerry Seinfeld, laundry color pattern preferences or non-preferences would likely affect verdicts to where they wouldn’t be applicable to the crimes.

They could either be too light … Okay, maybe Pete Rose did bet on baseball games he played and managed in, but if he only wagered on his team to win, he shouldn’t be banned.

Or too harsh … Super Bowl titles won by any team(s) with Tom Brady should be stripped and redistributed, with the Buffalo Bills possibly receiving at least two of them.

That said, let me disclaim that I’m a lifelong Chicago Bears fan before stating that Aaron Rodgers should be disciplined for his blatant disregard for the NFL COVID-19 protocols.

Hope I’m not projecting too vindictive, which could be a sound accusation toward someone who witnessed an enemy franchise replace a Hall-of-Famer with another Hall-of-Famer on the fly at the crucial QB position while meanwhile suffering the brutal succession of Mike Tomczak, Jonathan Quinn, Chad Hutchinson, Moses Moreno … et al.

But even when Rodgers recently taunted the Soldier Field faithful while continuing his “I own you!” dominance over the Bears, it didn’t rouse me to a point where I had veins bursting from my neck like I was at a school board meeting. My issue is not with Rodgers and his sustained excellence; my issue is with the Bears where “excellence” and “quarterback-play” go together like spaghetti and chocolate syrup.

In fact, I’ve become a secret admirer of Rodgers. If sports at the high school and college levels are aptly referred to as extensions of the classroom, then sports at the professional level should be ongoing “example of excellence” lessons. And Rodgers has always been Exhibit A in the latter category.

Rodgers has also embraced the unwritten obligations of wealthy celebrity by giving back to the community and taking proactive roles in times of distress. One example of this is the “Aaron Rodgers Small Business COVID-19 Fund”.

But Rodgers’s actions as well as non-actions in the lead up to having the sit out this past Sunday’s game against Kansas City, and then him going to the “persecuted victim playbook” with tired references to the “Woke Mob” and “Cancel Culture” didn’t set an example of accountability and leadership.

Several months ago in this sports section, I forwarded my disapproval of NFL teams allegedly cutting players because of their unvaccinated status. I thought if evidence suggested such actions did occur, the NFL Players Association should intervene aggressively on behalf of the plaintiff — which would be the waived player.

I also opined of my disdain for vaccine mandates.

Rest assured, even though the Packers are atop of the NFC North thanks to Rodgers having another MVP-caliber season with the Bears wallowing with the Vikings well below them, my stances have not changed.

But whenever I hear someone say that vaccine mandates are unconstitutional, I’m compelled to correct them. The 1905 Supreme Court ruling from Jacobson v. Massachusetts that authorizes state enforcement of compulsory vaccine laws when the public’s health is at stake would need to be overturned for such mandates to become “unconstitutional”.

Though the ruling no doubt should be credited for the eradication of smallpox and polio, it — nonetheless — should be revisited and overturned.

Data of vaccine effectiveness is still being processed, but empirical evidence is weighing in the vaccines’ favor. COVID-related deaths and hospitalization in this country have been contained since coast-to-coast vaccine access despite the country’s mass reopening happening simultaneously with the advent of a more transmissionable and deadlier variant.

Still, mandating someone to inject something in their bloodstream with the threat of unemployment and/or lack of mobility as a consequence of non compliance is draconian, especially this deep into the 21st Century — though one could argue such “draconian” means may have helped get mankind to the 21st Century with civilization still intact.

Getting a vaccine should be left to one’s personal choice.

I firmly believe the current situation calls to get fully vaccinated to curtail what has become an “Endemic”, and to get subsequent booster shots when needed. But people should have the right to act otherwise if they are hesitant about the safety of the vaccines, are allergic or have reason to believe they’re allergic to components of the vaccine like Rodgers says he is, or just have not been sold on the proposed remedy for whatever reason(s).

I do have to say this to anti-vaxxers: Respect for personal decisions aside, presenting yourself as heroic American Freedom Fighters is believing too much of your own hype.

And to clarify the NFL’s policy — the league does not employ a vaccine mandate. But those who chose not to get vaccinated are required by the league to be tested more regularly, wear masks in NFL facilities and while conducting interviews with the press, and to avoid large gatherings like Halloween parties. Rodgers, who on the advice of an influential podcaster, self-vaccinated with doses of Ivermectin which may have Qanon-approval but not FDA-approval, and refused to wear a mask because he felt it was a shaming device imposed by the league.

Fines may be forthcoming for Rodgers but likely no suspension. The NFL has given each team leeway in the enforcement of protocols and with the discipline of their own offenders. With the threat of a COVID-spiked team forfeiting a cancelled game as well as being burdened with recouping financial loss, franchises should be motivated to discourage transgression in their ranks.

Don’t know if the Packers are going to rake Rodgers over the coals — or the frozen tundra. The relationship between Green Bay management and its superstar is already fraught.

But Rodgers was rightfully given the option to get vaccinated or not to get vaccinated and be subject to more safety measures to possibly prevent civil suits in case of a major outbreak being traced back to league contact and interaction with the public.

I guess like any great quarterback reading the defense, Rodgers sought a third option. For this, though, he should be flagged. Not too bad to where he becomes a martyr, but bad enough to make it hurt.

How ‘bout having to sit out the next three or four games against the Bears? That should send a message.