On March 12, 2024, The New York Times published an article detailing potential running mates for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign. High on the list was the quarterback of the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers, who Kennedy had been talking to "pretty continuously" for at least a month, according to the article.
As discussion over the potential options spread on social media, Ken White, the author of the legal blog Popehat, reposted the article on two "Twitter-like" social media platforms, Instagram Threads (owned by Meta) and BlueSky. White captioned the post with a purported quote from Rodgers:
"If I can't walk anymore, nobody should" said injured Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. "That's why I'm joining the team that's going to bring back polio."
(@kenpopehat / Instagram Threads)
A Snopes reader emailed us and asked if the quote was real. It was not. Rodgers never said that.
The injury in question happened during the 2023 NFL season, when Rodgers, who had just been traded to the New York Jets, completely ruptured his Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the season. He did not play for the rest of the season.
The "team" in question refers to Kennedy's presidential campaign. Snopes has thoroughly investigated Kennedy's connections to the anti-vaccination movement, which is a prominent part of his presidential bid. The polio vaccine, meanwhile, is considered to be one of the most successful public health campaigns in history.
Rodgers has come under fire for his political views both before and since the New York Times article was released. During the 2021 NFL season, Rodgers missed a game after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He told journalists earlier in the season that he had been "immunized," but refused to elaborate further.
Over the next two years, it became clear that Rodgers had not received an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine. He revealed on podcasts with Pat McAfee and Joe Rogan that after discovering an allergy to an ingredient in the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) and researching the Johnson and Johnson vaccines, he opted against taking it. Instead, Rodgers used holistic medical practices that have no valid scientific support or backing.
Since the New York Times report, CNN has published an exposé alleging that in 2013, Rodgers shared conspiracy theories with CNN correspondent Pamela Brown implying that the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting was fake.
Rodgers posted a reply to the article on his X (formerly Twitter) account on March 14, 2024:
As I'm on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place. Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to…
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) March 14, 2024
In order to fact-check the "bring back polio" statement, we started by reading the New York Times article it supposedly appeared in, but did not find the quote. A quick google search using the quote's wording found no results from any news outlet, The New York Times or otherwise.
When we reached out to Ken White via email for comment, he confirmed that the post was intended to be satirical and had no basis in reality.