Aaron Rodgers' State Farm commercials are disappearing from TV after he revealed he isn't vaccinated

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers faced severe backlash after recently admitting that he was not vaccinated. He had contracted coronavirus and then revealed that he hadn't taken the vaccine despite earlier telling the press that he was "immunized." Rodgers became very "upset" at the reaction and felt he was crucified for making a personal choice. One of the repercussions appears to be the drastic reduction in State Farm's television ads featuring the NFL player, who's been a regular feature in their ads for more than a decade. This past weekend saw Rodgers feature in just 1.5% of the nearly 400 State Farm ads on TV on Sunday, while the previous two Sundays saw him feature in roughly 25% of the insurance company's ads, reported CNN.

Rodgers explained why he didn't get vaccinated in an interview on 'The Pat McAfee Show' and admitted to taking Ivermectin as a cure for coronavirus. "I would like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies that are out there about myself," Rodgers told former NFL punter McAfee and his former linebacker teammate A.J. Hawk, reported Fox News. "Some of the rules, to me, are not based in science at all. They’re purely trying to out and shame people, like needing to wear a mask at a podium when every person in the room is vaccinated and wearing a mask – makes no sense to me," said Rodgers of the NFL protocol. "If you got vaccinated to protect yourself from a virus I don’t have as an unvaccinated individual then why are you worried about anything I could give you?"

"Our monitoring indicates that this wasn't a planned reduction and more reactionary because there wasn't any new significant ads put in its place," said Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing, which keeps track of ad buying. State Farm didn't directly address the drastic reduction of ads featuring the quarterback but said Rodgers has been a "great ambassador" for the company over the past decade. They also encouraged people to get vaccinated. "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," said a State Farm spokesperson. "We recognize our customers, employees, agents and brand ambassadors come from all walks of life, with differing viewpoints on many issues. Our mission at State Farm is to support safer, stronger communities. To that end, we encourage vaccinations, but respect everyone's right to make a choice based on their personal circumstances." The spokesperson added that it would be "inappropriate for us to comment on Aaron's vaccination status." The company is now focusing on new ads featuring former NFL player Terry Bradshaw.

Rodgers claimed that he had an allergy which prevented him from getting the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. "I'm not an anti-vaxx, flat-earther. … I have an allergy to an ingredient that's in the mRNA vaccines. I found a long-term immunization protocol to protect myself, and I'm very proud of the research that went into that," said the Packers star. He went on to add that he took Ivermectin on the advice of podcaster Joe Rogan. “I consulted with a now good friend of mine Joe Rogan after he got Covid and I’ve been doing a lot of stuff that he recommended,” said Rodgers.

Since the interview, Prevea Health, a Wisconsin-based health company, ended its partnership with Rodgers. The NFL player was unhappy with the response to the interview. "He knew some people would disagree with him, but he didn't know that it would become the sh*tstorm it became. People who he thought were friends are turning on him," reported PEOPLE.

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