It’s been rumored that the Packers were aware of Aaron Rodgers’ vaccination status (or lack thereof), and now the NFL is laying down the law, hitting the team with a mighty hefty fine.
As you know, Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 last week, which forced him to miss Sunday’s Week 9 game against the Chiefs. This in itself isn’t a huge deal, as plenty of players have tested positive for it throughout the season.
But here’s where it gets tricky. When it was announced that Rodgers had COVID, it was also revealed that the Packers QB didn’t actually have the vaccine, despite telling reporters that he was “immunized” when asked about it prior to the season during a press conference.
This in itself isn’t worthy of a fine. But Rodgers bypassed league protocols related to what a player can do and can’t do if he doesn’t have the shot, and he did so in conjunction with the team apparently, which put many others at risk. Totally stupid move on everyone’s part.
So the league issued a $300,000 fine to the team, and they also fined Rodgers and WR Allen Lazard nearly $15,000 each.
Packers fined $300,000 for COVID violations of the NFL and NFL Players Association protocols, while Aaron Rodgers and Allen Lazard each fined $14,650, per @RobDemovsky.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2021
Packers also were made aware that future violations could result in escalated discipline – possible change of draft position or loss of draft choices. https://t.co/R1J9LN5iN2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2021
While the $15K fine is a drop in the bucket for someone like Rodgers, hopefully that $300K fine will cause other teams to take note and shape up, in case they’ve got any players in similar situations.