In the continuing Aaron Rodgers saga, State Farm is standing with personal freedom and the unvaccinated Green Bay quarterback. Lanky lefty Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, however, says professional sports has been damaged forever by Rodgers.
“We encourage vaccinations, but respect everyone’s right to make a choice based on their personal circumstances,” a State Farm spokesperson told USA Today Monday. This is a restorative step for corporate America, which has stepped all over personal freedom in the past year through censorship and terminations, while kneeling to Black Lives Matter babble about white privilege.:
Aaron Rodgers has been a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade.
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.
Writing on Substack, Abdul-Jabbar sensationalized the Rodgers issue, claiming the quarterback’s lies, his illogical defense of personal choice and his hubris damage all professional athletes. The pandemic has revealed several athletes who abuse their position and responsibility, not just to the public, but to other professional athletes’ livelihood, the super-sensitive Abdul-Jabbar wrote:
That latest egregious abuser is Green Bay quarterback and three-time MVP Aaron Rodgers who 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.
There’s much more ammo in Abdul-Jabbar’s holster. Rodgers restores the image of the dumb jock. He didn’t just lie and threaten the health of other people, he also “damaged professional sports,” Abdul-Jabbar charged. When athletes like Rodgers say something stupid, “the public trust in athletes lowers and sponsors might consider avoiding players in favor of actors, pop stars, or social media influencers.” Woke athletes like Stephen Curry and LeBron James don’t have to worry about that (by parroting left-wing narratives), but young, rising stars might be denied lucrative advertising deals.
The hardcore lefty never questioned his pal James’ veracity when the current Lakers’ star said blacks are hunted by police and that racist remarks were spray-painted on his L.A. mansion. It's the outrageous social justice and race-baiting like that which has crushed the NBA's favorability ratings.
Abdul-Jabbar’s rant ended with more ridiculous remarks:
“I can’t help but think of Colin Kaepernick, who was blacklisted by the NFL for passively expressing his frustration with systemic racism—a brave act meant to help his community and save lives—while multi-millionaire Rodgers will continue to play, despite lying to the fans and his teammates and putting innocent lives in danger. Time will tell whether Rodgers will be judged by the content of his character or the strength of his throwing arm.”
Invoking Kaepernick is a a sure loser. Pro sports' popularity has plummeted precipitously ever since he ignited anti-American protests in 2016. Rodgers' favorability has dropped, yes, but favorability with pro sports is so low now that it's doubtful that Rodgers could single-handedly sink them much further.
Abdul-Jabbar, who has often been judged by the weak content of his character (here and here), further pressed his attack on Rodgers with Don Lemon on CNN.