State Farm stands by Aaron Rodgers after he criticized COVID-19 vaccine: ‘We respect his right’

A company spokeswoman said in a press statement that Rodgers had been a "great ambassador" for State Farm for nearly a decade now:

"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."

Questions over the continuation of State Farm's sponsorship of Rodgers lingered on social media over the weekend, before Monday's press statement.

CNN made note about Aaron Rodgers about how State Farm commercials featuring him were "disappearing" from TV.

Back on Friday, the NFL quarterback announced his positive COVID-19 diagnosis. But also that he consulted Joe Rogan about the course of treatment he'd take, a "cocktail" of different medications the JRE podcast has previously talked about.

The opinions against vaccination that Rodgers expressed when talking about this on "The Pat McAfee Show" had begun to cost him sponsorships over the weekend. He had been a spokesperson for Prevea Health but the company recently announced their decision to part ways over the social media response to Rodgers.

In October, Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving was suspended by the NBA for his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Recently, incoming Mayor Eric Adams said he'd be keeping this rule in place for New York City.