Jets' Aaron Rodgers expresses regret over 'immunized' statement in upcoming biography

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers is the subject of an upcoming biography that will touch on his handling of his COVID-19 immunization.

Rodgers was playing for the Green Bay Packers in 2021 when he stated that he had been “immunized” against the virus. But a few months after he told reporters about his immunization status, Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19.

The quarterback’s positive test result ultimately forced him to be sidelined for 10 days. The yet-to-be published book is expected to highlight Rodgers’ regret about his immunization remark.

Rodgers did file an appeal, arguing that his homeopathic treatment regimen should qualify him as vaccinated. But the appeal was ultimately unsuccessful.

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Rodgers received some backlash at the time, with some critics asserting that he was not being completely sincere about his status.

“If there’s one thing I wish could have gone different, it’s that, because that’s the only thing [critics] could hit me with,” Rodgers told author Ian O’Connor for the biography.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is shown during a practice at the team’s training facility in Florham Park, N.J., on May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Rodgers’ primary reason for claiming he was “immunized” centered around his belief that the statement represented “the crux of my appeal,” the NFL star said in the book, per ESPN.

Rodgers said at the time that he was allergic to an ingredient in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines – polyethylene glycol – and was concerned about potential adverse reactions to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets speaks to the media on May 21, 2024. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

“But if I could do it again, I would have said, (forget) the appeal. I’m just going to tell them I’m allergic to PEG,” Rodgers says in the book. “I’m not getting Johnson & Johnson. I’m not going to be vaxxed.”

The book is based on interviews with 250 people, including Rodgers. It touches on a wide range of topics, including Rodgers’ recovery from a torn Achilles tendon after four snaps in his debut with the Jets in 2023, his long estrangement from his family, his introduction to using ayahuasca, and details of his football playing career through college at Cal, his draft-day plunge in the first round in 2005 and his lengthy run with the Packers.

“Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” goes on sale on Aug. 20.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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