Aaron Rodgers violated NFL COVID-19 protocols, could face suspension

Reigning NFL MVP and Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers will miss Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs after testing positive for COVID-19.

The earliest Rodgers can return to the mix is Saturday, November 13. That’s one day before Green Bay’s Week 10 outing against the Seattle Seahawks.

On the heels of Rodgers testing positive for COVID-19, reports are surfacing that he’s not vaccinated for the virus. Earlier in the year, Aaron Rodgers noted that he was in fact vaccinated.

Now comes this information from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated indicating that Rodgers has been in violation of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols by taking part in indoor press conferences with the media.

And teams have had to work around this. Some hold press availability outside to facilitate it for unvaccinated guys. The Packers have actually put other unvaccinated players on Zoom with the media, to adhere to the rules. Bigger question here is how the league could've missed it.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 3, 2021

Aaron Rodgers facing discipline from the NFL?

To say that this is a pretty big deal would be an understatement. If the NFL concludes that Rodgers was in violation of its protocols multiple times during the season, it could end up suspending one of the league’s best quarterbacks.

There’s also a chance that the Packers themselves are penalized with a fine and/or the docking of 2022 NFL Draft picks.

As for Rodgers’ status, being unvaccinated means that he must isolate for 10 days. If he continues to show no symptoms and tests negative, that November 13 timeline could still be met.

This also changes the dynamics for the biggest game on the NFL Week 9 schedule with Green Bay riding a seven-game winning streak and going up against the two-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.

The Packers were previously one-point favorites. That spread has now turned to favor Kansas City at minus-seven.