Cal Sports Report

Aaron Rodgers Challenges Travis Kelce to Vaccine Debate

Former Cal QB would have Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his side and assigns Anthony Fauci to be with Kelce aka Mr. Pfizer

Jake Curtis

The latest chapter of the back-and-forth between Aaron Rodgers and Travis Kelce has Rodgers calling for a vaccination debate with Kelce, with Rodgers and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on one side and Kelce and Dr. Anthony Fauci on the other.

“Mr. Pfizer said he didn’t want to be in a vax war with me,” Rodgers, a former Cal standout, said on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. “This isn’t a war, homie, it’s just a conversation. But if you want to have some sort of duel, debate, have be on the [Kelce bothers’] podcast, come on the show, let’s have a conversation. Let’s do it like John Wick 4, so we each have a second to help us out. I’m going to take my man, RFK Jr., Independent, and he can have Tony Fauci or some other pharmacrat, and we can have a conversation about this.”

Rodgers added that such a debate would have “big ratings,” and he might be right.

This back-and-forth began a week ago when Rodgers called Kelce Mr. Pfizer for his TV commercials encouraging people to get flu and COVID vaccines. Kelce then responded last week by saying he was comfortable with the Mr. Pfizer nickname and didn’t mean to get into a “vax war” with Rodgers, who is unvaccinated and noted his skepticism about the COVID vaccine.

“I thought it was pretty good. Who knew I’d get into the vax wars with Aaron Rodgers, man?” Kelce said in a news conference last week. “Mr. Pfizer vs. the Johnson and Johnson family over there.”

The reference to “Johnson and Johnson” was pointed at Jets owner Woody Johnson, who is heir to the Johnson and Johnson company, which produces vaccines.

This week Rodgers was amazed the attention this Kelce-Rodgers issue has produced.

"Was that not incredible last week, people getting absolutely triggered?" Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday. "Listen, I saw some of it. The Johnsons have been great to me. So I don't mind you calling me 'Mr. Johnson & Johnson.' Woody and Christopher and their families, they've been great. I don't play for the Johnson & Johnson corporation. I play for the New York Jets. I made a tiny little joke about a guy shilling for a potentially, it's not potentially, corrupt company and everybody kinda loses their minds a little bit."

This seems to be all in fun, although both parties are strong supporters their point of view regarding vaccines. Rodgers has just upped the ante, so it will continue, with Kelce’s response expected next.

Although this debate is mostly for laughs, former NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was very serious in his criticism of Rodgers’ stance on vaccines. Abdul-Jabbar criticized Rodgers’ dismissal of the science that suggests vaccines have helped save a lot of lives.

A lot of publicity surrounds Kelce these days, first with his relationship with Taylor Swift and this give-and-take with Rodgers. He’s a pretty good tight end in the meantime.

Rodgers continues to rehab from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in the season opener. He continues to say he is ahead of schedule in his recovery, and definitely wants to return to play in the NFL, even though he will turn 40 in December.

Rodgers had a lot of other things to say Tuesday, including the Jets win over the Broncos and Denver coach Sean Payton, who was highly critical of Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett before the season, and other issues.

Here is the entire Aaron Rodgers segment on Tuesday's Pat McAfee Show:

Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Danielle Parhizkaran, NorthJersey.com, USA TODAY NETWORK, USA TODAY NETWORK

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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