Sidelined Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday issued a challenge to discuss the efficacy of COVID vaccinations.
Since Rodgers made fun of Kelce for teaming up with pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer in a campaign to urge Americans to get their flu vaccinations and Covid vaccines, the two pro football standouts have been exchanging jabs.
supporters retaliated against Rodgers by pointing out that Kelce is “Mr. Johnson & Johnson” while playing for the Jets, who are owned by Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical heir Woody Johnson. Rodgers had insulted Kelce by dubbing him “Mr. Pfizer,” but the supporters had called back at the quarterback.
Last week, Kelce told reporters, “Who knew I’d get into the vax wars with Aaron Rodgers, man?” “Mr. Pfizer versus that family of Johnson & Johnson over there.”
When mentioning the current discussion on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Rodgers didn’t specifically reference Kelce by name, but it was evident that the Chiefs star was in mind.
“I made a tiny minor joke about a guy shilling for a possibly … corrupt company & everybody kind of lost their minds,” said Rodgers.
“Mr. Pfizer claimed he didn’t anticipate engaging in a vaccine battle with me. This isn’t a war, my friend. The amused Rodgers added, “This is simply conversation. “But if you want to have a kind of duel, debate, have me on the podcast, join on the show, let us have a conversation.”
Rodgers’ joke mentioned proxy combatants while drawing a comparison to the film “John Wick: Chapter 4.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate for president and a vocal opponent of vaccinations, will accompany Rodgers. “I’m going with my man RFK Jr., independent, so he can have, you know, Tony Fauci or some other pharmacist so we can have a conversation about this,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers acknowledged making “misleading” statements in 2021, just a few months after the Covid vaccinations were first distributed when he said he was “immunized” against Covid-19, which was interpreted to suggest he had received the vaccine.
At some point, Rodgers admitted he hadn’t had a vaccination and had instead taken ivermectin, a medicine promoted by podcaster Joe Rogan and normally used on cattle.
Flu vaccinations and Covid are both extraordinarily secure and efficient.
Everyone six months of age and older should have an annual flu shot, ideally in October when flu cases normally start to increase, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC recommends that everyone aged six months and older who has not received a Covid vaccination within the past two months do so this fall.
When speaking with reporters last week, Kelce remained steadfast in his support of immunization.
“I got it due to keeping myself safe, making my family safe, and everyone in this building, so yeah I believe by it 1000%” he stated. I don’t mind at all if he addresses me as Mr. Pfizer.
Prior to the current vaccine discussion, Kelce had already gained widespread attention for his increasingly open relationship with pop diva Taylor Swift.
On September 24 and October 1, she attended his Chiefs games, introducing many Swifites to football for the first time.
Additionally, the couple has come under growing fire from conservatives during this process. Swift has urged her youthful followers to register to vote for years.