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Aaron Rodgers lied. And now he’s lying about his lying.

Preamble. All things considered, Aaron Rodgers is the most talented NFL quarterback I’ve seen. I’m 67. I’ve watched a lot of NFL football. I am not a “casual” viewer.

I’ve always liked Aaron Rodgers. Not in a fawning way. But he has always struck me as not only an astounding athlete, but also as a thinker.

I am now having to reassess the previous clause. If he really believes the garbage that came flying out of his mouth Friday, he lacks the “critical thinking skills” he claims to have.

More likely is that he is lying. That he knows he lied in August, and is now doubling down on his lying.

Rodgers’ dissembling about being “immunized” was absolutely a ruse and a deflection. And he knew exactly what he was doing.  And his statement yesterday that any subsequent misunderstanding was the fault of reporters for not “following up” is preposterous.

Aaron Rodgers is unvaccinated. By anyone’s honest definition, Aaron Rodgers is unvaccinated. And yet he has been trying to pass himself off as sort of quasi-vaccinated, as a special kind of “Aaron Rodgers Vaccinated,” like he’s entitled to a Rodgers Rate at State Farm.

He got caught. But he got caught only because he “caught” COVID. And now he’s backpedaling like he’s taking a 7-step drop following a play-fake.

You just threw a pick, Rodgers. And it’s a bad one. This is not a trivial or trifling matter.

And this was all done not only with the knowledge of the Packers’ organization, but with its active complicity and cooperation. It would be naïve to believe otherwise. The Packers have forfeited their dignity in their increasingly pathetic ongoing efforts to appease Rodgers and re-sign him.

For all of its faults and other missteps, the NFL has done a magnificent job in designing and executing its COVID protocols. Nothing short of magnificent.

Rodgers, with the Packers’ winking approval, has violated those protocols every single day since the start of training camp. In the process he has risked the health, welfare and perhaps even lives of others on a daily basis. And he has dishonestly jeopardized the “business” of the NFL.

Rodgers’ references to “bodily autonomy” would be hilarious if they weren’t so dangerous.

And his attempt to explain his decision to forgo vaccination after doing his “own research” and then to lie about it by claiming to be a brave warrior against “wokeness” is disgusting, offensive and insulting to our intelligence. It’s also insulting to HIS intelligence. That guy is smarter than that. I refuse to believe that even HE believes his own bullshit.

Who does he think he is, Ted Cruz?

News outlets are citing anonymous sources who say Rodgers will not face NFL suspension.

Why not? If this is not a suspendable offense, what could possibly be?

You got all fired up about DeflateGate, but not this?

And the discipline should not stop with Rodgers. The Packers were in of all of this. Not only should that organization by fined into pauperhood, but it should lose draft choices into the 22nd Century.  (Yeah, I know, I’m rollin’ now.)

And, yes, there are folks in the Green Bay front office who should lose their jobs before Monday morning.

Get busy, Jolly Roger.

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.