"We respect his right to have his own point of view" - State Farm addresses its stance on Aaron Rodgers' vax saga

As Aaron Rodgers' vaccine fiasco gets closer to the end, the Green Bay Packers quarterback will be eligible to play next week if he tests negative and has no symptoms. His stance has irked the majority of the NFL fraternity.

The Packers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a game they would have easily won had Rodgers been the quarterback.

Everything points to Rodgers losing just one game due to COVID-19, but the consequences of his actions go beyond the field. One of his sponsors, Wisconsin-based Prevea Health, ended their partnership with the Packers quarterback on Saturday.

State Farm defends Aaron Rodgers' vaccine stance amid controversy

But not every sponsor is ending its collaboration with Rodgers. On Monday, State Farm, through a spokesperson, announced that the company would stand behind Rodgers "even if they don't support some of the statements he has made."

"Aaron Rodgers has been a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade," a State Farm spokesperson 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."

There was a lot of discussion about Rodgers and the sponsors, and when Prevea Health pulled their sponsorship, it looked like it was opening a worm can. But perhaps they will be a one-off - and a comprehensible one, considering they're a health company.

Rodgers is still in a difficult situation. He's being investigated for breaching protocols for unvaccinated players against the COVID-19, and it's impossible to think the NFL will let him get away after such flagrant violations.

Green Bay Packers v Arizona Cardinals

Even worse is to think that the Packers lost the first seed in the NFC in an easy game because they couldn't have their starter quarterback available. Green Bay is still in a great position and will qualify for the playoffs, but the first seed was really important because of the bye week.

Even with State Farm not cutting ties with Rodgers, there were fewer advertisements with the quarterback during Sunday - he featured in only 6 out of 394 possible, which means 1.5%. Weeks before, the Packers quarterback appeared in 25% of State Farm ads.