Joy Behar didn’t mince words when calling out Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers for misleading people about his vaccine status during the Friday November 5 episode of The View. The co-hosts Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Ana Navarro all criticized the 37-year-old QB for not being outright about his vaccine status, after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday November 3.
After playing the clip of Aaron saying that he was “immunized” in a press conference and then ESPN’s Steven A. Smith, who called the player a “liar,” Joy noted how irresponsible it is to be unvaccinated in a close-contact sport like football. “The NFL says that they’re investigating whether Rodgers violated protocols, but let me say, the guy’s in a huddle six days a week, breathing on people, and directly exposing his teammates to covid. Does ‘Typhoid Mary’ ring a bell anybody? It’s not a job where you’re away from people. You’re right on top of each other in that game,” she said.
Sunny likened Aaron to NBA player Kyrie Irving, who has been open about the fact that he is unvaccinated, but said that while Kyrie has been forthcoming in his decision and has been benched for not getting the vaccine, Aaron was not being honest. Aaron had told reporters that he was “immunized” and wouldn’t judge unvaccinated teammates, but it has since been revealed that he was not vaccinated, according to NFL Media. Sara shut down the arguments that getting vaccinated is a personal decision, by noting that the unvaccinated can affect those who have received the vaccine. “If you are lying to me, you’re putting me at risk to make a personal decision—which we keep talking about—a personal decision about my life,” she said.
Guest co-host Paula Faris did mention that Aaron hadn’t outright fibbed about his vaccine status, given his deceptive response. “I don’t think he lied, she said. “It was sneaky. He misled everybody.” Sara Haines quickly hopped in to note that “Intention to mislead is lying.” Paula continued to note that the NFL doesn’t have a vaccine mandate for its players, and noted the different protocols that unvaccinated players are supposed to follow, including divulging that they haven’t received the vaccine. “You have to wear a mask at all times, which he’s not doing,” she said. “I just think come out and say you’re not vaccinated.”
During the discussion Ana also made a comparison to the backlash that Colin Kaepernick faced for kneeling during the national anthem before games. “Nobody was going to die from Colin Kaepernick taking a knee,” she said. Sunny also made mention about the consequences that the former San Francisco 49er faced and called for the NFL to take action against Aaron. “What is the NFL going to do? What are the consequences here? Because the consequences for Colin Kaepernick kneeling and standing up for social justice is that he’s not playing in the league,” she said.
Shortly before cutting to break, Sara noted that it was especially bad for Aaron to lie about his status in a leadership position like a QB has. “The quarterback is the worst one. You’re supposed to guide your team through everything, and he is lying,” she said. Right before going to commercial, Joy worked a quick joke about the whole situation in. “The worst thing is it’s really dampening my interest in football,” she quipped.