Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has now publicly apologized to Shailene Woodley for the firestorm she was caught in after he lied about his COVID vaccination status.
Speaking to former Indiana Colts punter Pat McAfee on his YouTube show Tuesday, Rodgers, 38, said he regretted pulling his loved ones into his anti-vaccination scandal.
He had come under fire after he tested positive for COVID in November and it was revealed that he did not receive a COVID vaccination, despite claiming over the summer that he was immunized according to the National Football League’s requirements.
Instead, the star quarterback received a doctor-prescribed therapeutic treatment for the virus, which he tested positive for in early November. In the aftermath, he said he combatted his COVID-19 infection with recommendations from podcaster, friend, and notorious vaccine skeptic, Joe Rogan.
For months, Rodgers was then caught up in a media frenzy as critics slammed him for lying about his vaccination status and sharing ‘misleading’ vaccine information.
But following a 12-day cleanse on Tuesday, Rodgers said he now grasps ‘the entire gravity’ of the situation, and specifically apologized to Woodley.
‘One thing I am sad about and definitely apologetic is I didn’t realize in the midst of the COVID conversation how much my situation was affecting my loved ones and my people,’ Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show.
Aaron Rodgers, a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, came under fire last year after it was revealed that he did not actually receive a COVID vaccine – despite claiming earlier that he was immunized against the virus
Speaking to former Indiana Colts punter Pat McAfee on his YouTube show Tuesday, Rodgers, 38, said he regretted pulling his loved ones into the scandal
‘I didn’t realize the kind of shrapnel that was kind of being flaked off what I felt like were the bullets coming at me.’
He continued to say he ‘never wanted to be divisive’ and was just trying to ‘speak what was my truth,’ before apologizing to his loved ones, including Woodley – who he may or may not be still engaged to.
‘I am very sorry to those people — Shai, and my loved ones, and my agents,’ he said. ‘To those people, I just want to say I’m sorry. I never meant to get you in the middle of it… I do have a lot of feelings of remorse for that.’
The football star, who recently won his fourth NFL MVP award, also thanked Woodley for her support throughout the season.
Rodgers started dating the 30-year-old actress in mid-2020, with Rodgers referring to Woodley as his fiancée in February 2021.
Almost exactly a year later, reports swirled that the couple called off their engagement – with many pointing to a photo of the Big Little Lies star without her engagement ring.
But on Monday, Rodgers thanked Woodley in an Instagram post, sharing photos from his past year, including one of the couple snuggled up on a couch.
‘Thanks for letting me chase after you the first couple months after we met, and finally letting me catch up to you and be a part of your life,’ he wrote to Woodley in the captions.
‘Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you,’ he added.
The interview came one day after Rodgers posted this old photo of him and actress Shailene Woodley cuddled up on a couch, and expressed his gratitude for her in an Instagram post
When asked about that post on Tuesday, Rodgers said he felt ‘immense gratitude for everyone in my life’ after he finished a 12-day cleanse.
‘I was going through some old photos last year, and I felt an intense amount of gratitude for the life that I have and the lessons that I learned, and the growth that’s happened over the last year, and the people who have been a part of that journey,’ he said, adding that he attributes his success on the field to a happy home life.
He said he had recently spoken to head coach Matt LaFleur about his continued success and the people who made it possible.
‘I was teasing with Matt before when I mentioned in my speech [accepting the MVP award] that three years together, two MVPs, there’s no coincidences.
‘And I was also telling Shai, I’ve been with you for two seasons and won two MVPs, like that’s not a coincidence either and I mean that.
‘When your home life is stable and you have an amazing partner to do life with, it just makes the work life a bonus,’ Rodgers explained, adding that the happy home life allows him to not stress and just enjoy the game.
‘I know for me, it’s been great to the last two seasons to have that stability at home, and I think about the other wives of my teammates who are just rock stars,’ he said, reiterating: ‘When things are good in your personal life… it allows you to just relax and be so much more grateful, I think for the little things in life.
‘Big shout out to all the women backing up the fellas,’ he added.
At that point, McAfee asked him if he ‘found’ himself in his relationship with Woodley.
‘Yeah, without a doubt,’ he responded immediately. ‘I’ve learned a lot from her.’
‘When you meet your person, your life just changes,’ he said.
Woodley has not yet commented publicly about their relationship.
