Aaron Rodgers Erred Yet Damage Likely not Permanent

Evan Nierman, founder and CEO of Red Banyan, a public relations and crisis communications firm

In the minds right now of many media professionals and the court of public opinion, Aaron Rodgers is a villain and deserving of any and all criticism and nastiness he’s receiving. Maybe that’s debatable. What isn’t arguable is that Rodgers was not prepared to answer questions about his vaccination status that he didn’t want to answer and that has him in hot water.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback, the reigning Most Valuable Player of the NFL and future Hall of Famer expressed on the Pat McAfee Show that he was feeling uncomfortable when the media asked him months ago if he was vaccinated against COVID. At the time, Rodgers replied that he was “immunized.”

He told McAfee that at the time he didn’t want to be judged for not being vaccinated nor did he care to be asked additional questions and more probing ones about something as personal and polarizing as his health, which he says is a personal decision.

Rodgers knew of course, regardless of the steps he had taken regarding his health, that he was not answering the reporter’s question in the context in which it was being asked, and knew that he was not vaccinated.

Recently testing positive for COVID, Rodgers was forced by the NFL to stay away from the team for 10 days, which included missing a game, which his team lost. Worse though maybe has been the fallout that has resulted in Rodgers being painted by many as a person who is a liar, selfish, poor leader and bad teammate, who put his co-workers and their families at great health risk. That’s the dominant narrative circulating.

Rodgers likely didn’t set out to deceive. Yet he did. And intent is not all that matters. Wanting to maintain privacy is understandable, even as a public figure. It isn’t seen as a excuse by society to be dishonest.

“Aaron Rodgers definitely took a risk when he told reporters that he was ‘immunized,’ knowing full well that (the media) would take that to mean he had received a COVID-19 vaccine, when he had not,” says Evan Nierman, founder and CEO of Red Banyan, a public relations and crisis communications firm. “Presumably, nobody would have ever been the wiser if he never tested positive for COVID, but obviously that is not how things played out.”

Rodgers was in a difficult position having to have a conversation with the media about a topic that he didn’t wish to talk about. He knew the dangers of telling the truth. He didn’t know how to respond in a way that was honest, respected and safe. He proceeded in a manner that didn’t manage risk well for his reputation.

“Lies can be outright or by omission, just as attempts to mislead can be done obviously or in a manner that is meant to fall into a gray area,” Nierman says. “Aaron Rodgers may have wanted to just move the conversation along and not answer more questions on the topic, but he clearly sought to mislead with the words he chose. That intent was even more clear given that when you view the tapes now, he is talking in a general sense about players, or people in general, who wanted to make their own decisions about their bodies when he, in truth, was talking about himself.”

Some critics in the media are declaring that Rodgers’ legacy, which is unassailable on the field yet now heavily scrutinized off the field, is forever and negatively altered.

“Aaron Rodgers has now been branded a liar and that will be a tough label to shake, but in time it will likely fade from memory just as Tom Brady’s use of deflated footballs to gain an advantage is just a footnote in an otherwise glorious success story that continues,” Nierman says. “The biggest long-term threat to Rodgers and his reputation will be the level of his play, since at the end of the day he is paid to perform on the field, not to be the most high-integrity or eloquent person.

The NFL star has problems before him now and challenges down the road.

“For the short-term, he will be under the microscope with his every move scrutinized,” Nierman says, adding “In time, the bigger threat to his reputation will be how he conducts himself in other scenarios, and what he says publicly—not this current scandal.”

As for what’s next for Rodgers in this personal crisis against what Rodgers deems is a woke mob and cancel culture, Nierman has a professional recommendation.

“Take whatever punishment he gets with a dose of humility, avoid saying or doing anything dramatic or controversial and wait for the news cycle to move on,” he says. “People compound their problems during a time of crisis by making mistakes, so he should be cautious and keep his head down.”

Note: Evan Nierman previously commented in Communication Intelligence about then New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s scandal.