Deion Sanders criticizes Aaron Rodgers for jeopardizing Green Bay Packers: I'm a team guy
"Aaron Rodgers deserved everything that he got," Deion Sanders said in the latest episode for his podcast "21st & Prime."
Sanders, the Jackson State football head coach, pulled no punches when he said Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers jeopardized his team in a recent COVID-19 vaccination controversy.
Rodgers was recently fined nearly $15,000 by the NFL after he tested positive for COVID-19. According to a USA Today report, Rodgers had been approved for an alternate treatment before the season started that allowed him to be considered the same as any vaccinated player.
After testing positive, Rodgers had to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days, which led to him missing Week 9. The Packers lost 13-7 to the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 7.
Sanders addressed the controversy, which has grabbed national headlines for weeks, on his podcast. The Jackson State Tigers' coach said as the leader of the team, Rodgers should have gotten vaccinated.
"If you have the majority, 85 or 90 percent of your team vaccinated," Sanders said. "You’re the leader man."
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Sanders offered up more, talking about how much worse the situation would have been if it had come later in the season.
"Imagine if they were in the playoffs and this happened, then you personally, singlehandedly cost your team an opportunity, a whole year or work and turmoil and toughness and pain and agony ... all because of a decision," Deion Sanders said.
Two weeks before the Jackson State season started, the Clarion Ledger reported that Sanders was fully vaccinated and had been for "some time."
However, he did commend Aaron Rodgers for holding true to his personal beliefs.
"I applaud him for standing for what he believed in," Sanders said, before saying that Rodgers' reputation is not stained and the situation will cool off.
Trisha Easto is a digital producer in the USA Today network. You can find her on Twitter @trishaanicole
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Deion Sanders criticizes Aaron Rodgers over COVID-19 vaccine
