Aaron Rodgers has spent the last 16 years constructing a case to be considered one of the NFL's best quarterbacks. In parallel, he has been attempting to become the NFL's greatest douchebag. He has been wildly successful in both ventures.
Rodgers recently contracted the COVID-19 virus that has plagued our earth, resulting in the deaths of over 4 million people. To combat the adverse affects of the virus the NFL asked each of the players (their employees) to get vaccinated. If they chose not to, they would have to adhere to strict protocols that would mitigate the risk of them contracting or spreading the virus to others. They took these safety measures so that we could once again enjoy the beautiful game of Football, America's true pastime.
Rodgers elected not to get vaccinated, which I condone and respect. It is the choice of the individual and it is a choice that has no right or wrong answer. However, at the beginning of the season he alluded to the fact that he was vaccinated, and so he was treated as a vaccinated person and did not have to abide by the additional rules and regulations that were imposed on others who were un-vaccinated.
This is the problem. Rodgers consistently believes that he is above the rules that the rest of us have to follow. He thinks that his talent makes up for his misdeeds, and it's hard to argue against. The NFL has a history of only administering punishment if pressure to do so is applied by the media, and it could not be more true for this latest scandal.
According to sources, Rodgers has an annual salary of $33.5m. This does not include money earned through endorsements. The NFL decided the fair punishment for lying and breaking protocol for the last 9 weeks was to fine Rodgers $15,000. That is 0.04% of his annual NFL contractual salary. If you make $100,000/year, that fine prorated to your wage would come out to $44, which is less than 1 hours worth of work if that $100k was earned working 40 hours a week and 52 weeks a year. 1 fucking hour of work. Think about that.
Talent has always been able to mend the rules in their favor, because without players like Rodgers the game would be less exciting. But as a common man, that gets ticketed when caught speeding and arrested when caught running from the cops, it bothers me that a few get to decide how they would like to live and the rest of us just enjoy watching.
LIAMs LOCKs
I find your thoughts on Roger and Rodgers to be both salient and sapient. Most notably, your breakdown of Roger’s meager reprimand of Rodgers’ dishonesty is striking. One can’t help but feel frustrated by the behavior of Roger Goodell and Aaron Rodgers.