Actor Mark Hamill was less than thrilled to see Aaron Rodgers sporting a Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sweatshirt while the NFL quarterback offered an apology for “misleading” the public regarding his own vaccination status.
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Rogers found himself in the public crosshairs on November 3rd when it was revealed, alongside news that he had been diagnosed with COVID-19, that the star offensive player for the Green Bay Packers was not vaccinated against the virus.
However, in addition to stigmatizing Rodgers for having chosen to decline the vaccine – as is currently socially acceptable and lucrative – many also felt as if he had lied to the media when he previously declared during an August NFL press conference that he had been “immunized.”
Here’s the video on August 26th when Aaron Rodgers was directly asked if he had been vaccinated pic.twitter.com/kskQDRpWi8
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) November 3, 2021
Two days later, on November 5th, Rodgers appeared on The Pat McAfee show to explain his side of the story, telling the eponymous host, “I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now, so before my final nail gets put in my cancel-culture casket, I think I’d like to set the record straight on some of the blatant lies that are out there about myself right now.”
“It wasn’t some sort of ruse or lie, it was the truth,” he said. “I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something. Health is not a one-size-fits-all for everybody.”
He continued, “I’m not an anti-vaxx, flat-earther.. I have an allergy to an ingredient that’s in the mRNA vaccines. I found a long term immunization protocol to protect myself & I’m very proud of the research that went into that.”
"My desire to immunize myself was what was best for my body & that's why this is so important to me. I made a decision that was in my best interest for my body.. I'm not telling somebody to get vaccinated or not get vaccinated" ~@AaronRodgers12#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/AyUkhyvuzC
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 5, 2021
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Unsurprisingly finding himself on the receiving end of even further backlash over this explanation, Rodgers returned to The Pat McAfee Show on November 9th to “acknowledge that I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading”.
“To anybody who felt misled by those comments I take full responsibility,” said the NFL MVP. “I’m an athlete, I’m not an activist. [My outlook on the vaccine] wasn’t one that was come to frivolously, it came from a lot of stuff. Further comments I’m going to keep between myself and my doctors. I don’t have further comments about anything after this interview.”
"I acknowledge that I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading.. to anybody who felt misled by those comments I take full responsibility" ~@AaronRodgers12#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/i9F7ojd8w8
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 9, 2021
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It is during this appearance, as seen above, that Rodgers wore the aforementioned Star Wars sweatshirt – much to the apparent chagrin of Hamill.
“Of all the sweatshirts he could have worn, he had to take full responsibility in THAT one?” he tweeted on November 10th.
Ultimately, the most surprising thing surrounding this entire debacle is not Hamill’s reaction or Rodgers’ vaccination status, but rather the fact that someone actually owns a piece of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker merchandise, much less wears it publicly.
What do you make of Hamill’s reaction to Rodgers’ sweater? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!