State Farm Keeps Aaron Rodgers As Spokesman But Uses Him Less

WISCONSIN — State Farm kept football player Aaron Rodgers as a spokesman Monday after the quarterback talked about avoiding taking the COVID-19 vaccine and repeated misinformation about vaccines

"Aaron Rodgers has been a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade," State Farm spokesperson Gina Morss-Fischer told Patch. "We don’t support some of the statements that he has made, but we respect his right to have his own personal point of view."

Rodgers was in only 1.5 percent of 400 State Farm ads shown during the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs game Sunday, CNN reported.

Prevea Health, a Wisconsin health care organization, ended its nine-year partnership with Rodgers on Sunday. The organization said it would continue to encourage all eligible populations to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Rodgers told sports analyst Pat McAfee on Friday that he was taking ivermectin, a veterinary deworming drug, and had talked to podcast host Joe Rogan for medical advice after testing positive for the virus on Tuesday.

The Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved ivermectin for treating COVID-19 in people and has warned that taking large doses is dangerous.

A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also found the major benefits of getting vaccinated. While fully vaccinated people may still contract the virus, the study found that unvaccinated people were six times more likely to get infected and 11 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who had received a vaccination.

Rodgers petitioned the NFL to put him on the vaccinated players list after receiving an alternate treatment, but the NFL denied the request, ESPN reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.