GREEN BAY, Wis. — The NFL has fined the Green Bay Packers $300,000, and fined quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Allen Lazard each $14,650 for violating COVID-19 protocols on Tuesday, according to NFL.com.
NFL.com stated the team, Rodgers, and Lazard were fined for violations of the protocols that were jointly agreed upon by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
According to the NFL, "the team was also notified that future violations could be subject to more severe discipline, such as lowered or lost draft picks."
Rodgers missed last Sunday's game in which the Packers fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. He missed the game due to a positive COVID-19 test. Because he is unvaccinated, he is ineligible to return to team activities until Nov. 13, meaning his status for his team's game against the Seattle Seahawks is also in doubt.
Rodgers said that after he thoroughly researched the vaccine options that alternative treatments would be better for his health. He said he is allergic to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and that the clotting story with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine made that vaccine not an option.
This all started after the MVP tested positive for COVID-19. That's when a previous interview resurfaced in which he said he had been "immunized" - a word people at the time thought meant "vaccinated."
Rodgers said Tuesday that he takes "full responsibility" for any comments that might have been misleading to people, but he added that "I stand by what I said."
