On Monday, NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar slammed Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, writing up a Substack post that he abused his “position and responsibility, not just to the public, but to other professional athletes’ livelihood.” He also wrote that Rodgers was the “latest egregious abuser” who “directly and deliberately lied to fans and the public when he assured everyone he was ‘immunized,’ knowing that word would be interpreted as his being vaccinated.”
“He wasn’t vaccinated. And he got COVID-19. And he went maskless during in-person press conferences, which not only violated NFL rules, but put everyone else’s health at risk,” Abdul-Jabbar continued.
Abdul-Jabbar also lionized former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, claiming the player was “blacklisted by the NFL for passively expressing his frustration with systemic racism—a brave act meant to help his community and save lives—while multi-millionaire Rodgers will continue to play, despite lying to the fans and his teammates and putting innocent lives in danger.”
Abdul-Jabbar referenced Rodgers claiming that a league doctor told him “it would be impossible for a vaccinated person to catch or spread COVID.” He argued, “What’s especially bothersome is that Aaron Rodgers didn’t just lie and threaten the health of those around him, he also damaged professional sports. Many athletes make a lot of money on product endorsements, which depends on the public’s favorable perception of athletes.”
More of the attack on Rodgers from the article:
Rodgers’ ignorance regarding the science of immunology brings back to life the old stereotype of the big dumb jock. His utter lack of even the most basic knowledge and logic is shocking. In an effort to defend his lying, he stated, “This idea that it’s a pandemic of the unvaccinated, it’s just a total lie … If the vaccine is so great, then how come people are still getting covid and spreading covid and, unfortunately dying of covid?” Those two statements don’t even belong together. Statistics from many sources conclude that around 97 percent of those being hospitalized or who have died in the past several months are unvaccinated. The CDC found that the unvaccinated are 11 times more likely to die than those vaccinated. If he thinks that’s a lie, what credible evidence does he have? None.
“What really sacked his whining stance was his refusal to wear a mask during interviews to protect others from sickness and death,” Abdul-Jabbar opined. “That was merely his hubris and arrogance against what he called the ‘woke mob.’ In this case, woke means compassion and responsibility toward others. He might also remember that the only reason he is able to play in front of crowds again is because all those suckers got vaccinated.”
“Time will tell whether Rodgers will be judged by the content of his character or the strength of his throwing arm,” Abdul-Jabbar concluded.