"Big dumb jock" - NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar blasts Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was ruled out of his team's trip to Kansas City last Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19. NFL insiders later revealed that he was unvaccinated and hadn't followed protocol for months, which led to widespread criticism of the quarterback.

NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shared his thoughts on Aaron Rodgers and the COVID debacle and did not filter his words. He explained how Aaron Rodgers abused the trust that the public often gives to celebrities and athletes (whether deserved or not).

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar criticizes Aaron Rodgers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar felt that Aaron Rodgers intentionally lied to the public when he said he was "immunized" in response to a reporter's question about his vaccination status:

"[Aaron Rodgers] directly and deliberately lied to fans and the public when he assured everyone he was “immunized,” knowing that word would be interpreted as his being vaccinated. He wasn’t vaccinated. And he got COVID-19. And he went maskless during in-person press conferences, which not only violated NFL rules, but put everyone else’s health at risk."

The former Los Angeles Lakers star criticized Aaron Rodgers for referencing his health regimen to podcast host Joe Rogan instead of consulting a doctor or immunologist. Joe Rogan also contracted the virus and touted the positive results of alternative methods such as home remedies and ivermectin, a medicine commonly used as a horse dewormer.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also had issues with Aaron Rodgers doubling down after the backlash over his vaccination status:

"Rodgers compounded his lie by adding another lie. While being interviewed about the backlash on the Pat McAfee Show, he claimed that a league doctor told him 'it would be impossible for a vaccinated person to catch or spread COVID.' However, the NFL responded by saying no doctor from the league or consultants from the NFL-NFLPA communicated with the players."

Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar emphasized that no medical expert claims that the vaccine prevents infection or spreads infection but that vaccines reduce the chances of spreading and reduce the severe symptoms of COVID. He did not hold back when criticizing Aaron Rodgers for using his platform as a star athlete to spread misinformation:

"Rodgers’ ignorance regarding the science of immunology brings back to life the old stereotype of the big dumb jock."

The buzzwords "cancel culture" and "woke mob" are common in online discourse, and Aaron Rodgers was no exception. The Packers' star quarterback lamented that both the cancel culture and the woke mob were coming for him because of his beliefs.

Abdul-Jabbar compared Rodgers' situation to NBA star Kyrie Irving's stance on vaccination:

"Rodgers complained that the 'cancel culture' was coming for him, but his own words cancel him as a liar and a bad thinker. If he had a principled objection to the vaccine, he could have chosen not to play, like Kyrie Irving, who at least is honest."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ended his essay with another comparison to former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who settled with the NFL over grievances alleging that the league colluded with owners to blacklist him (and former safety Eric Reid) from playing in the NFL. Abdul-Jabbar felt that Kaepernick did not receive the same treatment as Aaron Rodgers, who will continue to play football while only possibly receiving a fine for his actions.

You can read the entire article penned by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar here:

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