Packers’ Aaron Rodgers calls Super Bowl boycott rumor ‘#fakenews’; was Boomer Esiason duped into reporting it?

Aaron Rodgers responded to the rumors about him potentially boycotting the Super Bowl over COVID-19 rules in the NFL by tweeting jokes about the claim.

On Friday during his CBS Sports NFL Today podcast, Boomer Esiason shared a text message he received from an unknown source regarding the Packers QB.

What did it say?

The “source” indicated Rodgers would boycott the Super Bowl due to the NFL’s COVID-19 rules, specifically the rule that asymptomatic players have to test. 

But, it’s important to note, there is more context to this story. 

Esiason and his co-host, Gregg Giannotti, later acknowledged that they believed the text was a prank.

Giannotti posted the clip with this conclusion seven minutes before Rodgers went on a Twitter rant about the rumor.

MORE: Will off-field COVID vaccination saga impact voting of Aaron Rodgers for NFL MVP?

Rodgers first retweeted the first video of Esaison reading the source’s text by using 10 hashtags in his caption, one being “#fakenews.” 

Packers practice squad quarterback Kurt Benkert added to the conversation shortly after. Rodgers asked Benkert if he was the source who messaged Esaison, and Benkert then played along with it, even calling himself Benedict Arnold. 

MORE: Aaron Rodgers responds to NFL MVP voter withholding vote over vaccination status

Then, Packers backup quarterback Jordan Love chimed in and said he was the source. Rodgers poked fun at Love, too.

Rodgers is unvaccinated, as it was made clear when he tested positive for the virus in early November. The Packers quarterback was criticized for his earlier statement that he was “immunized.” Since he tested positive, Rodgers has not held back about his comments regarding COVID-19 and how the NFL handles it.

Esaison and Giannotti are playing a dangerous game in airing loosely sourced information to the world, especially surrounding Aaron Rodgers. The Packers QB has been at odds with various publications and media members over perceived misinformation surrounding the affect COVID-19 had on his injured toe and his worthiness for the NFL MVP award based on vaccination status.

The latest gaff by Esaison and Giannotti is another log on the fire for Rodgers.

MORE: Timeline of Aaron Rodger’s vaccine drama from ‘immunized’ to ‘COVID toe’

Although the Packers earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Rodgers will still start on Sunday vs. the Lions in the Packers’ last regular season game this year.