When Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in November, it was revealed that he is unvaccinated. As a result of his vaccination status, Rodgers was forced to miss Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rodgers then spoke publicly about his vaccine stance and not wanting to receive the Modern or Pfizer version because he is allergic to one of the ingredients in both of them. On Monday, State Farm announced that the company would be standing behind Rodgers, who is one of State Farm's spokespersons, despite the company not supporting "some of the statements that he has made" about the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Aaron Rodgers has been a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade," a State Farm spokesperson told USA Today. "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. 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."
While State Farm isn't terminating its relationship with Rodgers, the company has cut back on the amount of advertisements that feature the Packers signal caller. On Sunday, there were just six out of a possible 394 ads that featured Rodgers, which makes up just 1.5 percent of all of the ads that were run.
In the prior two Sundays, Rodgers appeared in an estimated 25 percent of State Farm ads, according to data from Apex Marketing.
The State Farm statement comes after another one of Rodgers' sponsors, the Wisconsin-based Prevea Health, decided to end its partnership with the Packers quarterback on Saturday.
Rodgers, who did not play in the Packers' loss to the Chiefs on Sunday, is currently being investigated by the NFL for breaking COVID-19 protocols throughout the 2021 season. He conducted several in-person press conferences
