Rodgers takes 'full responsibility' for implying he was vaccinated

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers took responsibility Tuesday for indicating he was vaccinated against COVID-19 before the season.

"I misled some people about my status, which I take full responsibility of for those comments," he said on "The Pat McAfee Show."

When asked in August if he was vaccinated, Rodgers told reporters, "Yeah, I've been immunized." Rodgers sat out Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs while in an extended quarantine, which the NFL mandates for unvaccinated players who test positive for COVID-19.

The three-time MVP is eligible to return to the Packers' facility as early as Saturday, one day before Green Bay faces the Seattle Seahawks. He expects to play barring any health setbacks and is ready to return his focus to football.

"I'm an athlete, I'm not an activist, so I'm going to get back to doing what I do best and that's playing ball," Rodgers said. "I shared my opinion. It wasn't one that was come to frivolously - it involved a lot of study and what I felt was in my best interest for my body."

Rodgers also said he gets why his his vaccination status is such a polarizing topic.

"I understand that people are suffering and this has been a really difficult time for the last two years on so many people," he said. "I think we all know individuals who have lost their lives personally, people who have lost their businesses, their livelihoods, (whose) way of life has been altered completely, and I empathize with those things."

Rodgers expressed dismay about the NFL's COVID-19 protocols a week ago, saying the league's policies were designed to "shame" unvaccinated players.