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Aaron Rodgers saw your memes. He wasn’t laughing.
The Packers quarterback sounded off at the legions of fans who he believed were only rooting against him during their game Saturday against the 49ers – which Green Bay lost, 13-10 – due to his outspoken views on COVID-19.
“There were a ton of people tuning in, rooting against us for one reason and one reason only,” Rodgers said Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “It’s because of my vaccination status and them wanting to see us lose so they could pile on.”
To be fair, there’s probably some truth to this. Rodgers instantly became one of the most polarizing athletes in the country when he tested positive for the virus earlier this season, admitting that he had misled reporters about his vaccination status. There was no shortage of people who reveled in Green Bay’s playoff loss because they wanted to see Rodgers lose.
At the same time, Rodgers didn’t help the matter with his play. After a season that earned him MVP consideration, even amid the controversy, the Packers could only manage 10 points in the snow. That’s not entirely on Rodgers, and the elements didn’t cooperate, but it’s not the kind of football he played all year.
The focus is now on whether he’ll come back to Green Bay after a year filled with distractions off the field, some of his own making. Rodgers told McAfee that he could have a decision by the franchise tag deadline, when the Packers will likely decide whether to tag wide receiver Davante Adams.
“I’d like to be respectful of the organization,” Rodgers said. “One decision that will be upcoming will obviously be Davante and his future with the team. There is still this thing called a franchise tag, which I don’t think ’17’ wants the franchise.
“I think there should be enough to make a decision by then. I don’t want to put myself on a specific date, but I do want to be sensitive to Davante and many other guys who have decisions to make on their own futures. To drag it out past free agency would be disrespectful to the organization and to those guys, and that 100 percent will not happen.”
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