NFL executives and coaches have complained that the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers got special treatment on COVID-19 rules, report says

• Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 last week, subsequently revealing he is not vaccinated.
• Executives and coaches from other teams are questioning if Green Bay was held to COVID-19 rules.

News that Green Bay Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers was unvaccinated against COVID-19 has apparently led to some questions about whether the NFL's COVID-19 protocols were applied fairly across the league.

Executives and coaches from other teams have complained that the rules don't seem to have been applied equally to the Packers and their star, according to an ESPN report published Sunday.

The Packers have treated Rodgers as an unvaccinated player, according to Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network. Under NFL protocols, unvaccinated players must wear masks at all times while indoors at team facilities and undergo daily testing. But Rodgers has been appearing at indoor press conferences with members of the media while not wearing a mask.

Rodgers also did not wear masks on the sidelines during preseason games even though his unvaccinated status would've required it under NFL protocols, according to ESPN.

"That's BS," one executive told ESPN. "What's going on in Green Bay, that's not what teams were told by the NFL. Our players wore masks all the time. We made our guys that weren't playing wear masks."

Another team executive referred ESPN to a memo sent to him by the NFL that said: "Any such individual with bench area access who is not fully vaccinated except for active players shall be required to wear masks at all times. Unvaccinated inactive players must also wear masks."

The NFL has said it is investigating the Packers and Rodgers to determine if COVID-19 protocols were violated.

After Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 last week it was revealed he had not been vaccinated, despite telling reporters in August he had been "immunized."

On Friday Rodgers drew more attention to the issue by blaming the "woke mob" for trying to shame unvaccinated people and saying he consulted with podcaster Joe Rogan for advice on medical treatments.