Opinion: Aaron Rodgers saga reveals problem with NFL's COVID-19 protocol enforcement
What next, Aaron Rodgers?
Mask up. Play by the rules. Even better, take the sack and get vaccinated.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback, fined $14,500 by the NFL on Tuesday while his team was docked $300,000 for violating COVID-19 protocols, is poised to make a grand return.
And the NFL’s reigning MVP will be under more scrutiny than ever.
There’s no more hiding behind the assumption that he’s vaccinated, and the NFL universe (and then some) will be watching to see just how much the relatively scant discipline will change behavior.
The amount of Rodgers’ fine, minuscule for someone with an average salary of $33.5 million on his current contract, was hardly a reflection of the NFL’s disgust that one of its marquee faces has kicked dirt on The Shield. The amount was negotiated between the league and the NFL Players Association when they set policies and established protocols for playing during the pandemic.
But another major violation could send a much stronger message, with the league's COVID-19 protocols leaving open possibility of a suspension up to four games.
Given that threat, I’m guessing that we’ll see Rodgers – who will be exempt from daily testing for 90 days – masked up at indoor news conferences. That’s probably the only difference that will be noticeable in the Packers settings that are public. What happens in meetings, during meals and at other points of his time at the team’s facility is between the Packers and NFL surveillance cameras.
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Yet away from the team, Rodgers will be paparazzi gold. The COVID-19 protocols prevent unvaccinated playersfrom attending gatherings away from team facilities without following the masking/social distancing rules. In other words, if Rodgers wants to engage at the holiday parties on his own time, the protocols go with him.
Of course, as much as the responsibility rests with Rodgers for his actions, there’s a bigger picture here. Maybe this would have never blown up in Rodgers’ face if the Packers ran a tighter ship in complying with the protocols.
It seems like the NFL is inviting inconsistency with compliance when it largely leaves the policing to the teams themselves. The league has security cameras at every team facility that can document the compliance for all individuals from the instant they arrive, but this is used after the fact, during investigations, rather than in real time. Last year, the NFL didn’t have people on the ground monitoring compliance at team headquarters until the playoffs.
Thus, some within league circles grumble that it’s like the "Wild West" when it comes to teams' compliance and consistency from team to team.
The Packers, who evidently turned their back on some of the details as the fine indicates, have been warned. They, too, are under intense scrutiny for further violations.
And they can ask the Saints and Raiders about the severity of repeat violations. New Orleans was fined $700,000 and docked a sixth-round pick for multiple offenses last year; Las Vegas was fined $800,000 (although the loss of a sixth-round pick was rescinded on appeal).
Rodgers, though, is the face of this drama with the Packers. As you’d expect, given his stature and enormous skill that can factor in his team and followers looking the other way.
Even before this season started – long before A-Rod’s image tanked largely because he misled the public about his vaccination status and used his rather large platform to spread misinformation about the risks of a disease that has resulted in the deaths of more than 750,000 Americans and – I thought Rodgers was under more pressure than any player in the league.
More pressure than Tom Brady aiming for a repeat. More than Jameis Winston to fill Drew Brees’ shoes, more than Dak Prescott trying to come back strong from a serious injury. The heat on Rodgers stemmed from his dramatic offseason, when he skipped the minicamps and OTAs while contract talks finally led to an out route that fueled speculation about whether he’ll be back next year.
This season from the outset presented itself with Super Bowl-or-bust ramifications, given that the past two seasons ended with losses in the NFC title game. And for all of Rodgers’ brilliance, leverage with contract demands and high profile as a pitchman, he’s won six fewer Super Bowl rings than Brady.
Yet now the scrutiny level has been raised, with the criticism off the charts.
Knowing Rodgers – a football player, not an activist – he will face the challenge with a certain verve.
But whether or not he wins his way, on and off the field, is a completely different matter.
Follow Paste BN Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.