Aaron Rodgers receives criticism for untruthfulness on vaccine status. Photo courtesy of NBC News.
By Staff Reporter Andre Adkins Jr.
Discussion about COVID-19 vaccination is heightened nowadays, especially as the holiday season is here. Athletes in several different sports are now faced with much more strict COVID-19 protocols for their seasons, and not being vaccinated is now a threat to their participation in their prospective sports. However, the level of criticism varies depending on the players’ voicing opinions. In recent weeks we have seen a level of criticism for unvaccinated players differ from one another.
NFL starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, recently tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. It was discovered he was unvaccinated but he previously stated he was “immunized.” Whether or not Rodgers was lying or just playing with semantics, he was untruthful about his vaccination status. Criticism has come for Rodgers heavily, though it is nothing compared to Kyrie Irving from the NBA.
Several media members and former NBA players have jumped in on harsh criticism for Irving.
“His lack of regard for Black lives doesn’t deserve acceptance, nor does his lack of regard for the health and welfare of the NBA community,” said Kareem Abdul Jabbar, NBA Hall of Famer.
Hall of Famer, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, took a strong stance against Irving for his stance on the vaccine. While Irving says he wants to be the voice of the voiceless, he was open and honest about not getting the vaccine. The media and others have essentially vilified him for his stance and have made him the face of unvaccinated players. Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take commented on Irving’s stance by saying “I’ve been covering the NBA for almost 25 years. This is some of the stupidest nonsense I’ve ever seen.” Irving was open and honest, but received harsh backlash, far in comparison to Aaron Rodgers.
When asked early on before games began this NFL season, Rodgers said he was immunized to the virus. He gave the impression that he was vaccinated and did not follow any of the protocols set in place for unvaccinated players. His untruthfulness could have potentially risked a lot of staff, teammates, and opposing players at risk. Though he is not being dragged through the same level of criticism as Irving.
Most of the media criticism focused on him being untruthful on his vaccine status. In an article from USA Today, it focused on the story of Rodgers admitting he said misleading comments. Quoting him from his appearance on the Pat Mcafee show.
“I made some comments that people might’ve felt were misleading. To anybody who felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility for those comments,” said Rodgers.
It was more focused on the fact that he misled others rather than his actual stance on being unvaccinated. Irving, while his standpoint could be unclear and a bit murky, the criticism he received felt more about his stance of being unvaccinated. Rodgers is also unvaccinated, but that is not what most people are focusing on. Other players and quarterbacks such as Carson Wentz and Kirk Cousins are not vaccinated.
Though those two quarterbacks were honest about their status but never received the backlash that Irving received. Aaron Rodgers did not even have to lie about his status, he would have been unblemished from the media, but Kyrie Irving has been under fire this entire season.
More harsh criticism came from The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill, “In retrospect, his disingenuous comments hint at a specific kind of self-centeredness; he seemed to believe he was smarter than everyone else in the room.”
Irving and Rodgers both made attempts to defend their stance, however, it just further made it more difficult to understand or accept. Whether the difference in the focus of criticism is based on race or level of talent in their respective sports, Irving has been vilified more so than Aaron Rodgers. Already missing one week and potentially this next upcoming game, Rodgers has the opportunity to quiet the noise. Irving will continue to receive criticism until he goes against his stance, or the city of New York changes its mandates.
