Green Bay Packers stick by their star QB Aaron Rodgers as Howard Stern slams him for 'lying' about being vaccinated: Says NFL should kick him out 'if there was any decency in the world'
Shock jock Howard Stern doesn't know much about football but that didn't stop the radio personality from calling on the NFL to boot Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for lying about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Rodgers, who tested positive last week, raised even more eyebrows Monday by breaking quarantine as he was spotted grabbing some coffee to-go at Caffe Luxxe in Los Angeles.
Per NFL rules, the reigning NFL MVP, should still be self-isolating for ten days rather than going on the coffee run. Despite this, his longtime sponsor State Farm called the 2020 NFL MVP 'a great ambassador' for the company.
But Stern pulled no punches on his morning show Monday, saying, 'if there was any decency in the world' Rodgers would be shown the door.
'I was so worked up over the weekend about this f***ing Aaron Rodgers of the NFL,' Stern began.
'I don't even know where to begin with that story. I mean this f---ing guy. I don't watch football, sorry I'm not a big fan, I know the guy is a real good football player, that's why they put up with his bulls**t.'
On Monday, Rodgers was spotted grabbing some coffee to-go at Caffe Luxxe in Los Angeles instead of self-isolating for ten days
Radio host Howard Stern has called for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to be kicked out of the NFL after lying about his vaccination status
Rodgers, wearing a black hoodie and beanie was seen getting a couple of cups of coffee
Despite wearing a black hat, face mask and sunglasses, Rodgers was easily identifiable
Rodgers then drove off in his car and returned to self-isolating
'If there was decency in this world, you know, I would throw this guy out of the football league so fast. What he did to his fellow teammates… this f***ing guy, they should throw him out of the league so fast,' Stern ranted.
'Aaron Rodgers, come on dude, really? You know, that whole bulls**t game, 'Yeah, I have the antibodies,' first of all, I don't know where these guys get their information from.'
'You got doctors who study in medical school, I don't know what has happened to this country,' Stern concluded.
State Farm is sticking with longtime spokesman. In a statement to USA Today on Monday, the insurance giant said: 'We don't support some of the statements that he has made, but we respect his right to have his own personal point of view.
'We recognize our customers, employees, agents and brand ambassadors come from all walks of life, with differing viewpoints on many issues. Our mission at State Farm is to support safer, stronger communities.
'To that end, we encourage vaccinations, but respect everyone's right to make a choice based on their personal circumstances.'
Still, Apex Marketing Group, which tracks ad buying, said only 1.5 percent of State Farm's television ads on Sunday featured Rodgers, compared to 25 percent the previous two Sundays.
'Our monitoring indicates that this wasn't a planned reduction and more reactionary because there wasn't any new significant ads put in its place,' Apex president Eric Smallwood said in a statement, per CNN.
Aaron Rodgers, (pictured) who missed the Packers' game after it was revealed he tested positive for COVID and is unvaccinated
Last August, Rodgers said he was 'immunized' and repeatedly did not wear a mask in settings in which they would be appropriate, according to NBC.
Rodgers chose his words carefully when speaking about the vaccine at training camp back in August. Instead of saying he was 'vaccinated,' Rodgers said he was 'immunized,' which some presumed to mean that he had received the injection.
However, Rodgers may have meant that he had COVID-19 antibodies from a previous infection.
He was placed on the NFL's COVID-19/reserve list last week and was forced to sit out Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which the high-scoring Packers ended up losing 13-7.
Rodgers has maintained that he is not 'anti-vax' in general but that it wasn't the right decision for him, adding how he believes he is in the 'crosshairs of the woke mob right now.'
The star quarterback came under fire after he appeared on the Pat McAfee show on Friday to speak publicly for the first time since his positive test
Rodgers admitted on Friday that he was using the anti-parasite drug Ivermectin to treat his COVID infection on the advise of podcaster Joe Rogan.
Rodgers is likely to face fines but not suspension if he is found to have violated COVID protocols as the NFL continues its investigation by conducting interviews with Green Bay Packers personnel.
Over the weekend, Green Bay-based healthcare organization Prevea Health ended its partnership with Rodgers, and reiterated its support for the COVID-19 vaccine.
'Prevea Health remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,' it said in a written statement on Saturday.
'This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19.'
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show last week, Rodgers said he had declared himself to be 'immunized' at the press conference because he had undergone alternative treatment to raise his immunity in the hope that the NFL would consider him vaccinated, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
The revelation prompted outrage, with Hall of Famer and six-time National Basketball Association MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writing on Monday that Rodgers had undermined the credibility of all athletes.
'What's especially bothersome is that Aaron Rodgers didn't just lie and threaten the health of those around him, he also damaged professional sports,' Abdul-Jabbar wrote on his personal website.
Bob Dorfman, the creative director at Pinnacle Advertising, said Rodgers had done significant damage to his potential for sponsors.
'If you lie about being vaccinated... how can you be believable as a product spokesperson?' said Dorfman.
'If there was decency in this world, you know, I would throw this guy out of the football league so fast. What he did to his fellow teammates… this f***ing guy, they should throw him out of the league so fast,' Stern ranted on his radio show on Monday (file photo)
'State Farm may remain faithful to Rodgers for now, but no other prospective sponsor is going to go near him. Until he really gets immunized, he's too controversial a celebrity to sell anything.'
Rodgers, meanwhile, is out until Saturday after testing positive. He must remain symptom-free, return two negative tests and then be approved for action by an independent doctor.
The first-place Packers play the Seattle Seahawks in Green Bay on Sunday.
The protocols for unvaccinated players remain largely the same as they were for everyone during the 2020 season. The difference now, since the release of several vaccines, is that players who have gotten the injections are free from certain testing, distancing, and mask protocols.
Unvaccinated players, however, need to distance, wear masks, and get daily tests.
Stern, 67, has made a career out of his no-holds-barred, shock-jock approach to radio broadcasting
Stern, 67, has made a career out of his no-holds-barred, shock-jock approach to radio broadcasting.
He rocketed to fame during his tenure as the host of The Howard Stern Show at WXRK in New York City from 1985-2005, after which he has continued to broadcast from New York City via Sirius XM radio from 2006.
The show gained an extreme level of notoriety for Stern's brutally honest and often controversial stances on topics, interactions with a diverse pool of guests, and a variety of X-rated content, which marked a departure from the formulaic and inoffensive approach of many talk radio shows.
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