Aaron Rodgers is fresh off a huge brawl with the Late Night Show host Jimmy Kimmel. The New York Jets quarterback recently made a heroic entrance at the Jets’ offseason program. However, he is now back with another controversial take.
The signal-caller suggested that the U.S. government played a role in creating the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
“Create a pandemic, with a virus that’s going wild. Anthony Fauci (former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director) was given over $350 million to research this, to come up with drugs, new or repurposed to handle the AIDS pandemic. And all they came up with was AZT,” Rodgers said.
The veteran acknowledged his lack of professional expertise in the field. However, he defended his right to question authority and conduct his own research.
“And if you do even a smidge of research — and I know, I’m not an epidemiologist, I’m not a doctor, I’m not an immunologist, whatever – I can read, though. And I can learn and look things up just like any normal person. I can do my own research, which is so vilified, to even question authority.”
Rodgers also claimed that the epidemic served as a blueprint for government actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. He alleged that it was done to drive research into new drugs. It is the latest addition to his criticism towards the state’s medical treatment while his hate towards Covid vaccine is known to all.
Aaron Rodgers is also a huge Covid vaccine skeptic
Aaron Rodgers found himself embroiled in controversy over his stance on vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was accused of misleading reporters by claiming he was “immunized,” only to later reveal he was unvaccinated when he tested positive for the virus. He later explained his decision to say he was “immunized,” stating he had prepared for the question and thought about how to answer it strategically.
The veteran later explained his decision to forgo vaccination, citing an allergy to one of the vaccine’s components as the primary reason.
“I’d been ready the entire time for this question and had thought about how I wanted to answer it. And I had come to the conclusion I’m gonna say, ‘I’ve been immunized.’ And if there’s a follow-up, then talk about my process. But, [I] thought there’s a possibility that I say ‘I’m immunized,’ maybe they understand what that means, maybe they don’t. Maybe they follow up. They didn’t follow up. So then I go the season [with] them thinking, some of them, that I was vaccinated,” he said per CNN.
Rodgers also dubbed Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce “Mr. Pfizer” as a playful jab at Kelce’s promotion of vaccination. This take earned a series of jabs to the Jets signal-caller. His stance on vaccines continues to be a divisive and controversial topic within the sports world and beyond.
