Aaron Rodgers has managed to make a name for himself while doing what he loves: playing football. Rodgers has become strikingly good at tossing the little brown pigskin around, so much so that even Tom Brady called the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback the “best thrower of the football that he’s ever seen.”
That’s high praise. Yet Rodgers understandably also likes to stand up for his beliefs, which has earned him fans among those who wouldn’t normally pay attention to the NFL, and plenty of critics who know exactly who the 42-year-old is.
Wisconsin Senator Takes Aaron Rodgers’ Side
Rodgers has done and said plenty over the course of his 21-year career. Some of them have made the future Hall of Famer a target of sorts. Other times, he’s been hailed as a bit of a hero for sticking up and saying things that challenge the narrative of the day.
On Monday, Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and tore into Dr. Anthony Fauci, calling him a “coward,” among other things.
“That absolute coward Tony Fauci,” Rodgers said. “Absolute coward. Are you kidding me? You got a pardon. And you pleaded over 100 times at the White House? What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were ‘the science’? I thought you were ‘I am science,’ and you get up there, and you can’t answer a question? What are we doing?”
Earlier, a U.S. congressman took Rodgers’ side, saying the four-time NFL MVP was “spot on.” Now Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson is backing up the QB’s words too.
Johnson appeared on “Bolling Point” to state his case.
“Aaron Rodgers was smart enough not to take that experimental gene therapy and use ivermectin when he got COVID, apparently,” Johnson said. “So he was smart enough to use his own brains. He was suspicious of these experts that totally mishandled the pandemic.
“My hat’s off to Rodgers; I appreciate the stance he took. It was courageous in the sports world. Unfortunately, more people didn’t follow him. We wouldn’t have had as many athletes falling unconscious, sometimes dead on the field of play. You’ve seen the video reels of this happening in 2021.”
Ron Johnson: “Aaron Rodgers was smart enough to take ivermectin when he got covid … unfortunately, more people didn’t follow him. We wouldn’t have had as many of athletes falling unconscious, sometimes dead on the field of play. You’ve seen the video reels of this happening in… pic.twitter.com/fbdGsqkMAJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 4, 2026
It’s unclear who Sen. Johnson was referring to regarding the 2021 instance. Damar Hamlin, though, collapsed on the field in 2023 after suffering a cardiac arrest.
In any case, at a time when the WNBA’s Sophie Cunningham is taking heat for her stance on transgender athletes competing against women, here’s another athlete who once had pitchforks aimed at him for his beliefs.
Yet, like Cunningham, Rodgers has earned praise, but not from all quarters.
