Aaron Rodgers talks COVID, vaccines, ivermectin with Pat McAfee: 'I'm in the crosshairs of the woke mob.'

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made headlines earlier this week when he landed on the COVID-19 list after having told reporters during the preseason that he was "immunized." He joined the Pat McAfee Show to discuss the issue.

McAfee asked Rodgers: "How are you doing? Is everything OK? How're the symptoms? Do we feel well? What's going on?"

“I’m doing really well," Rodgers said. "Big thanks to everybody that reached out and checked on me the last couple days. Heard from so many teammates, former teammates, members of the organization, friends.”

He continued, unprompted.

“I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now," Rodgers said. "So before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I’d like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies out there right now.”

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'It wasn't some ruse or lie, it was the truth.'

Rodgers said that he "didn't lie" during his news conference when he said he was immunized. According to NFL.com, he received homeopathic treatment from his personal doctor to raise his antibody levels

"It wasn’t some sort of ruse or lie, it was the truth," he said. "Had there been a follow-up to my statement, I would’ve said, ‘Look, I’m not some sort of anti-vaxx flat-earther. I am someone who’s a critical thinker. I believe strongly in bodily autonomy, and to not have to acquiesce to some woke culture. Health is not a one-size-fits all for everybody. For me, it involved a lot of study in the offseason. Much like the study I put into Jeopardy or the time I plan for games. I met with a lot of people in the medical field to get the most information about the vaccines before making a decision."

University of Kansas Health System’s Dr. Dana Hawkinson told NBC affiliate KSN-TV that homeopathic treatments have not been proven to prevent infection or illness.

“Do they have some immunologic property, anti-inflammatory property? Probably, but when you look at treatments against infections or illness they really haven’t shown or proven to be beneficial,” she said.

Rodgers says he's allergic to mRNA ingredient

Rodgers said he is allergic to an ingredient in mRNA vaccines, which he said ruled out getting the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. However, he was leery of getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. When the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was paused in April due to reports of clotting, he said "the options became, ‘What can I do to protect myself and my teammates if there’s not one of the Big Three options for me and my body?’"

"My desire to immunize myself is what was best for my body," Rodgers said. "My medical team advised me that the danger of an adverse event was greater than the risk of getting COVID and recovering."

The CDC says: If you have had a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction — even if it was not severe — to any ingredient in an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get either of the currently available mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna)."

Rodgers said that he approached the NFL about "an immunization protocol that I could go to to protect me and my teammates. It was a long-term protocol that involved multiple months and I’m very proud of the research that went into that. We felt like it was what was best for me."

He did not say which protocol he underwent.

However, the league said he would still be considered unvaccinated. The league denied Rodgers' appeal.

Rodgers said one of his other concerns was the long-term effects of the vaccine.

"The next great chapter in my life is being a father. It’s something I care about a lot. To my knowledge, there have been no long-term studies around sterility or fertility issues around the vaccines. That was something I was worried about. Even if I didn’t have (the allergy), that’d give me a little bit of pause. When people say, ‘Just get the jab,’ everyone’s body is different and there’s a lot of things we don’t know about this."

According to a study on COVID-19 and male fertility found in the the United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, "The results on effects of COVID-19 infection on the male reproductive system are currently insufficient as they are based on a small number of patients and therefore are often contradictory."

Rodgers says he has 'followed every single protocol to a T'

He said that "there was nothing that was hidden."

"I have followed every single protocol to a T," Rodgers said. "My daily routine is the routine of an unvaccinated person. I have to test early. Starting the season, unvaccinated people had to test once a day. We're being made to think we're the dangerous ones, we're the super spreaders. I test every single day and 5 a.m. for noon games. Before you go in, you have to wait in your car. Non-vaccinated people test and go right in. Mask every day in the facility. Physically distance from everyone elses. I can't leave the hotel, can't have dinner with teammates. The only people I see at the hotel are vaccinated people. I can't see anybody after the game. I work out off to the side of the room in a mask. I'm not allowed to use the sauna or steam room. I have to wear a yellow wrist band at all times, shouting to the world, 'I'm unclean and unvaxxed.'"

Rodgers has been taking advice from Joe Rogan

"I consulted with a good friend of mine, Joe Rogan, after he got COVID, and I've been doing a lot of the stuff he recommended on his podcast and on the phone to me."

Rodgers has been taking ivermectin

"I've been taking monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, zinc, Vitamin C and DHCQ (desethylhydroxychloroquine). I feel pretty incredible."

The FDA says it has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals.

Watch the rest of the interview here.

Follow IndyStar trending sports reporter Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon and email him story ideas at matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Aaron Rodgers COVID: Packers QB tells Pat McAfee he took ivermectin