On Tuesday, the N.F.L. fined Rodgers and a teammate, Allen Lazard, $14,650 for violating Covid-19 protocols the league established in tandem with the N.F.L. Player Association. A video review determined that Rodgers did not regularly wear masks, as mandated, inside the Packers’ facility or during his news conferences.
Rodgers and Lazard also breached protocols by attending a Halloween party unmasked. The league fined the Packers $300,000 for not monitoring their behavior.
Rodgers’s case has drawn attention from government officials, including Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, who went on “Fox News Sunday,” to remind viewers about the higher risk that the unvaccinated face and the threat they pose in spreading the virus.
“In any community, sometimes our decisions do affect other people,” Murthy said. It’s why “we have speed limits on highways because we know our decision about how fast we drive affects the safety of others. So, while freedom is absolutely important, we also have a collective responsibility to one another when our decisions impact the health and well-being of others.”