'He's a smart (expletive) dude'
Aaron Rodgers and Joe Rogan seemingly have opinions on everything, so it should come as no surprise they’re able to find common ground.
That it happened with COVID-19 and vaccines, however, made the Green Bay Packers quarterback the butt of plenty of jokes in the last week.
Rodgers missed the Packers’ Week 9 game in Kansas City after testing positive for COVID last week. The reigning MVP found himself in hot water after it was reported he was unvaccinated; Rodgers was asked in August whether he was vaccinated, to which he answered ‘Yeah, I’m immunized.’
He then made things even worse with a long, rambling diatribe about the vaccine and his decision to pass. As part of that rant, he revealed he consulted with Rogan about his options. Rogan, who is not a doctor, made headlines himself in September when he touted his use of the controversial drug ivermectin when he contracted COVID.
“I consulted with a now good friend of mine, Joe Rogan after he got COVID, and I’ve been doing a lot of the stuff he recommended in his podcasts and on the phone to me,” Rodgers said in an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Nov. 5. “I’m gonna have the best immunity possible now based on the 2.5 million-person study from Israel that people who get COVID and recover have the most robust immunity. I’m thankful people like Joe stepping up and using their voices. I’m thankful for my medical squad, and I’m thankful for all the love and support I’ve gotten.”
Rodgers revealed he leaned on a cocktail of treatments similar to the one Rogan touted, which included ivermectin, monoclonal antibodies, zinc and vitamins.
Rogan, unsurprisingly, defended Rodgers earlier this week amid the backlash the Packers QB faced for his controversial vaccine takes.
“He’s not vaccine-hesitant because he’s like a conspiracy theorist. He’s literally following the CDC recommendations,” Rogan said on his podcast this week, as transcribed by The Hill. “He’s not a dummy. He’s a smart (expletive) dude.”
Rogan also pushed for more alternative treatments.
“Give them the goddamn monoclonal antibodies when they get sick,” he said. “And they get better quick, and then they have antibodies like you do, which makes you more resilient to the virus in the future.”
The use of monoclonal antibodies has been questioned or at least cautioned against by medical experts and professionals.
Regardless, Rodgers and the Packers are hopeful he’ll be back on the field Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.