Former quarterback Cam Newton has backed Aaron Rodgers' assertion that National Football League (NFL) stars employed counterfeit COVID-19 vaccine cards to circumvent league regulations.
Rodgers, whose vaccination status was a significant topic during the pandemic, shared this claim on a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He also criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The NFL implemented stringent protocols to curb the spread of COVID-19, requiring all team employees to be vaccinated or face restrictions. Rodgers stated that "a lot of people had probably fake vax cards back in the day." He recalled seeing some vaccine cards that "were like written in crayon" and questioned why those were accepted while unvaccinated individuals were treated as "second-rate citizens."
During his own podcast, "4th & 1," Newton echoed Rodgers' allegations. "If we're being honest," Newton said, "going back to 2020 [2021], there were multiple players, coaches, and executives that fraudulently got their COVID shot. Yes, I said it."
Newton elaborated that he knew individuals in the locker room who had not received the vaccine but had purchased cards. He commented on nurses making "big bank" and people trying to gain entry to facilities by showing these cards.
Newton himself did not initially get vaccinated. In August 2021, he was temporarily barred from the Patriots facility for "a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities" and was released shortly thereafter.
Rodgers faced significant controversy in 2021 when he initially stated he was "immunized" against COVID-19, only to later confirm he was unvaccinated. He recently delivered a lengthy critique of Dr. Fauci on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show, calling the former White House chief medical adviser an "absolute criminal" and an "absolute coward." Fauci's attorney, David Schertler, responded on Fauci's behalf, stating, "Aaron Rodgers doesn't know what he's talking about. He should stick to football."