State Farm is taking a stand against the mob trying to cancel Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for refusing to get the COVID-19 shot.
In a statement released on Monday, the insurance company known for its “like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” jingle said that it had no plans to drop its partnership with the NFL player.
“Aaron Rodgers has been a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade,” a spokeswoman told USA Today. “We don’t support some of the statements that he has made, but we respect his right to have his own personal point of view. We recognize our customers, employees, agents and brand ambassadors come from all walks of life, with differing viewpoints on many issues. Our mission at State Farm is to support safer, stronger communities. To that end, we encourage vaccinations, but respect everyone’s right to make a choice based on their personal circumstances.”
Rodgers first came under fire last week after he contracted COVID-19. The quarterback previously told an over-trusting press pool that “I’ve been immunized” against COVID-19. Reporters did not press him on his definition of “immunized” and sports media pundits later lambasted him for spreading “misinformation” after he admitted that he has been hesitant to obtain the jab for medical reasons.
Prevea Health, a Wisconsin health care organization, announced this week that it would drop its nine-year agreement with the Green Bay star because it “remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent the virus from further significantly impacting lives and livelihoods,” the organization said in a statement.
In an episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” last week, Rodgers explained that corporate media was spreading a “propaganda narrative” that “unvaccinated people are the most dangerous people in society.”
“That is what the media has been trying to do, they’re trying to shame and out and cancel all of us non-vaccinated people, call us selfish,” he said. “I mean that’s the propaganda line too now: You’re selfish for making a decision that’s in the best interest of your body.”
Rodgers also criticized the media for printing lies about him.
“For the media out there taking shots at me, you don’t know my story. Now you do. So quit lying about me,” Rodgers said.
In a later episode on the same show, Rodgers acknowledged “that I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading.”
“To anybody who felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility for those comments,” he said.
