Rodgers Redux: How Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley’s Post-Vax Debacle Comments Made Things Worse
Why Do They Refuse to Understand the Consequences of Their Words?
Aaron Rodgers’ whole embarrassing “I got immunized” fuss could have just gone away if he had just brained up and admitted he’d not looked at the data closely enough, apologized for misleading the public and endangering others, and returned to the real world. The public is quick to forgive sincerely regretted mistakes because we’re all trying our best to do the right thing. And we all stumble on that path.
Instead, Rodgers tried to equivocate, hedge, and mince words in the same way that got him in trouble in the first place. And, as we all learned from Watergate, it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up that always gets you. Because that’s when the public realizes the only regret is getting caught.
Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. And repeat it Rodgers did by going on the same Pat McAfee Show on November 9 where four days earlier he had offered up his original misinformation, silly science, and lazy logic. Here’s what he said this time: “I acknowledge I am a role model to a lot of people. I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading. To anybody who felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility.”
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Let’s unpack that:
Rodgers doesn’t admit that he deliberately mislead people, though there really is no other way to interpret his original statement. That’s compounding a lie with another lie.
He’s not apologizing for his statement. He’s blaming those who heard or read it for not understanding his intent. He’s sorry you “felt misled,” even though it’s your fault. He’s gaslighting the readers.
What is he taking “full responsibility” for? For going maskless when around others and putting their lives and the lives of their loved ones at risk? For deliberately breaking NFL protocols that hurt his team? Nope. He’s allowing that he may have said something that some people misinterpreted? That’s not taking any responsibility at all.
Rodgers went on to say: “I'm an athlete, not an activist. I'm going to get back to doing what I do best and that's playing ball. I shared my opinion and it wasn't one that was come to frivolously. It involved a lot of studying and what I felt like was the best interest of my body. But further comments, I am going to keep between myself and my doctors, I don't have any further comments about any of those things after this interview.”