Healthcare group severs ties with Aaron Rodgers after he criticized COVID vaccine politics

A major healthcare company has severed a longtime partnership with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers after Rodgers revealed that he had contracted COVID-19 while unvaccinated and criticized what he said were the unreasonable politics surrounding the COVID vaccine. 

Rodgers this week slammed what he characterized as a "woke mob" perpetuating a "witch hunt" against individuals unvaccinated against COVID-19. The football player himself has taken criticism for not getting the shot and subsequently contracting the disease. 

Following those remarks, Wisconsin-based healthcare group Prevea Health said it was ending its longtime public partnership with Rodgers. 

“Prevea Health and Aaron Rodgers have made the decision to end their partnership” effective Friday, the company said in a statement.

"Prevea Health remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement continued. "This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent the virus from further significantly impacting lives and livelihoods."

Rodgers has argued in part that the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine motivated him to forego receiving it. "To my knowledge, there's been zero long-term studies around sterility or fertility issues around the vaccine. So that was definitely something I was worried about," he said during an interview this week.