NFL

Tom Brady: ‘I’m not commenting’ on Aaron Rodgers’ COVID-19 crisis

"Far be it from me to tell anyone what to put in their body."

By Khari Thompson

November 9, 2021

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Tom Brady is notably more interesting in his comments to the media since leaving the Patriots, especially when it comes to bashing rule changes or how football is played today.

But he still knows a minefield when he sees one. So when Brady got a question from his “Let’s Go!” podcast co-host Jim Gray about Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s interview on the COVID-19 vaccine last week, the 44-year-old veteran’s elite pocket movement was on full display.

“I’m not commenting on Aaron Rodgers’ personal situation,” he said. “Far be it for me to tell anyone what to put in their body.”

Naturally, he added a plug for The TB12 Method so it can tell you about what he puts in his body. But as he told Gray moments later on the podcast, “That’s all I’m going to say.”

And yet, it feels as if Brady’s actions remain stronger than his words as far as Rodgers and the debate around the NFL’s vaccination protocols go.

Unlike Rodgers, who missed last week’s game after testing positive for COVID-19, Brady is reportedly vaccinated. He hasn’t confirmed that himself, of course, but he is part of a Buccaneers team that touts itself as 100 percent vaccinated.

If there’s one thing to know about Brady, it’s that there’s little he won’t do to stay a step ahead of his opponents–even COVID-19. He reportedly stressed to his teammates last year to stay in step with the league’s COVID protocols en route to the Bucs’ Super Bowl title, and him getting vaccinated may have encouraged vaccine holdouts like Leonard Fournette to join the fold.

He has previously said the coronavirus would remain an issue for the NFL in the immediate future and expanded on those thoughts in the podcast, calling COVID-19 “part of our society” now.

“I think everyone’s dealing with it as best they can and trying to take as many precautions as we can,” he added. “Coaches have been out. Players have been out. Executives have been out. We’re testing every week, and we’re trying to prevent the spread of it. We’ve missed some players this year. Other teams have missed some players this year. I hope everyone stays safe. I think that’s the important part in all of it.”

If you’re a fan of reading between the lines, Brady’s acknowledgment of undergoing weekly, as opposed to daily, testing suggests he and his teammates are, in fact, fully vaccinated according to the NFL’s protocols.

Meanwhile, if Rodgers had been vaccinated, he would have had a chance to play Sunday against the Chiefs if he’d tested negative twice in a 24-hour period before the game. But he wasn’t, and his team lost 13-7 to a scuffling Chiefs squad.

Tom Brady won’t let Father Time beat him. What makes you think he’d let COVID-19 do it?