Column: You heard right. Aaron Rodgers played the Martin Luther King Jr. card

Aaron Rodgers tossing a football
Inexperienced Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers warms up Oct. 28 in Glendale, Ariz.
(Darryl Webb / Related Press)

Of all of the surprises to unfold this previous week, watching Aaron Rodgers use the phrases of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to attempt to justify his nonsense was the least anticipated.

The introspective quarterback has lengthy been admired for his willingness to voice opinions that problem the NFL’s model of conservative corporatism, which cherry-picks King’s phrases whereas benefiting from the dynamics that drove his work. Working example: When Drew Brees, then Saints quarterback, turned a query about gamers protesting racial injustice right into a dialogue in regards to the flag, Rodgers responded shortly by way of social media.

“It has NEVER been about an anthem or a flag,” he wrote in an Instagram submit that included an image of him locking arms with teammates earlier than a recreation together with “#wakeupamerica.”

For sure, that submit was a success with progressives.

So, yeah, after he had been outed as having performed with out being vaccinated, watching that man spend 45 minutes on “The Pat McAfee Present” spitting out catchphrases like “crosshairs of the woke mob” and “my last nail will get put in my cancel tradition casket” like he was a MAGA Pez dispenser was a bit jarring. However that’s not what caught with me most.

It was Rodgers evoking King as he tried to clarify why he misled the general public about his vaccination standing that was so revealing.

Earlier than speaking about among the league’s COVID protocols that he considers nonsensical, Rodgers quoted: “The good MLK mentioned, ‘You will have an ethical obligation to object to unjust guidelines and guidelines that made no sense.’”

There are inconsistencies with the NFL’s strategy — little doubt. However then once more, the NFL continues to be attempting to find out what a catch is, so clumsy protocol coverage is predicted.

The rub is the Inexperienced Bay Packers quarterback offered his King paraphrase as if he was on the entrance traces difficult an unjust legislation, when in actuality he was simply sitting on the sofa looking for methods to keep away from being held accountable for his phrases.

Once more.

Now I’m not suggesting Rodgers, or anybody else for that matter, can’t quote King. However contexts matter.

In August, when requested if he was vaccinated towards COVID-19, Rodgers responded, “Yeah, I’ve been immunized.” It was solely after he examined constructive for the virus earlier this week that the general public realized that “immunized” meant Rodgers was taking medical recommendation from Joe Rogan and never one of many vaccines. He claims he didn’t lie and as an alternative blamed the media for the confusion.

“Had there been a follow-up to my assertion that I’ve been immunized, I might have responded with this: I might have mentioned, ‘Look, I’m not some type of anti-vax, flat-Earther. I'm anyone who’s a crucial thinker.’”

That is the equal of catching your boyfriend dishonest on you and him saying, “In the event you had a follow-up to my assertion I might have mentioned, ‘I’m not sleeping with anybody else … however I am having intercourse with different folks.’”

Rodgers even mentioned he deliberate to present the “immunized” reply as a result of “throughout that point, it was a witch hunt that was happening throughout the league, the place all people within the media was so involved about who was vaccinated and who wasn’t and what that meant and who was being egocentric and who would discuss it, what it meant in the event that they mentioned it’s a private choice and so they shouldn’t should disclose their very own medical info.”

He didn’t need that smoke, and look, I get it. All of us get it.

There was — and stays — media frenzy round unvaccinated gamers.

The factor is, Rodgers purposefully gave a deceptive reply as a result of he didn’t need any follow-up questions. He tried to be slick, and when the jig was up, performed the King card like a rank-and-file member of the conservative corporatism membership we thought he didn’t need something to do with. That, out of every little thing that transpired concerning Rodgers this week, is what I discovered essentially the most disappointing.

For higher or for worse, we're used to seeing of us take King’s phrases out of context to sanitize despicable selections and insurance policies. President Reagan infamously quoted the civil rights icon whereas preventing affirmative motion, saying: “We would like a colorblind society. A society that within the phrases of Dr. King judges folks not by the colour of their pores and skin, however by the content material of their character.” It was amusing to observe Reagan and his type quote that one passage from “I Have a Dream” however by no means any of the factors the place King spoke in help of reparations or affirmative motion.

It was as in the event that they had been all simply cherry-picking his phrases to serve themselves, to not honor him. No matter politics, I didn’t suppose Rodgers would do one thing like that. Now I do know higher.

@LZGranderson

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