Rodgers Rips Report of ‘COVID Toe’

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said he's dealing with a fractured toe, an injury that is painful but won't keep him out for Sunday against the Rams.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers torched a Wall Street Journal story that said his toe injury is “COVID toe.”

What on earth is COVID toe? According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, “Many people don’t feel anything and only realize that they have COVID toes when they see the discoloration and swelling on their feet (or hands). Along with the swelling and discoloration, COVID toes can also cause blisters, itch, or pain. Some people develop painful raised bumps or areas of rough skin.”

Rodgers was ready for the question. He showed his left foot, which looked perfectly healthy and, in a sarcastic tone, noted, “Oh, there’s no lesions whatsoever. Oh, what a surprise.”

Rodgers missed the game at Kansas City after testing positive for COVID-19. When he was cleared to play the day before the game against Seattle, he was added to the injury report with a toe. Last week, he only practiced on Friday before playing at Minnesota. He was sensational during a second-half comeback that fell short in a 34-31 loss.

With a bad toe and limited practice time, #Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw 11 passes during the second half. 10 were caught, the other was a throwaway. They went for 197 yards and three touchdowns.https://t.co/6CqGgaix7w

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 22, 2021

Toward the end of his weekly appearance of The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Rodgers said, “No lingering effects, other than the COVID toe.” The light-hearted toe in his voice suggested Rodgers was mocking the rumors about the injury.

The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton used that line for confirmation of Rodgers’ injury. Numerous media outlets wrote stories, as well.

“That’s actually called disinformation when you perpetuate false information about an individual,” Rodgers said. “I have a fractured toe. So, I expect a full apology from Molly Knight and whoever her editor was. I did get a kick out of reading that article. That was very, very interesting, but I had never heard of COVID toe before. Pat made a joke about it on the show, and I mentioned yesterday that it’s worse than turf toe and it must be a bone issue. I can’t believe I have to again come on here and talk about my medical information It’s surprising coming from what used to be a reputable journalistic institution, but that’s the world we live in these days.”

Rodgers did have fun with the ordeal by updating his Twitter.

Rodgers didn’t practice on Wednesday. Coach Matt LaFleur said Rodgers would follow a similar preparation schedule this week as last week, when he didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday and was limited on Friday.

Rodgers said the injury, which is to his pinky toe wouldn’t keep him out of the lineup for Sunday’s showdown against the powerful Los Angeles Rams. Surgery could be a consideration during the bye.

“It comes down to managing the pain,” he said. “The injury I suffered when I was in quarantine doing my own workouts and trying to ramp up my conditioning. Didn’t think it was what it was until I got to the facility on Saturday before the game and got X-rayed when I got cleared. It’s just about pain management. There’s surgical options, as well, that wouldn’t involve missing time. Thankfully, we’ve got a great foot guy in town [Dr. Robert Anderson] – the best in the business, who everybody sends stuff to – but I’ll definitely look at all options over the bye and decide what would be best to make sure that I get to the finish line.”