Share
Commentary

Chiefs Star Travis Kelce Responds to Aaron Rodgers Calling Him 'Mr. Pfizer'

Share

Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce has a number of titles he has earned over his illustrious career.

All-Pro and Pro Bowler? Been there, done that. The best pass-catching tight end in NFL history? Perhaps. Taylor Swift’s boyfriend? It sure seems like it, as strange of a couple as the two would appear to be.

Injured New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers offered a new, more controversial title for the star Chief: Mr. Pfizer.

Appearing on Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” as he often does as a recurring guest, Rodgers discussed how his Jets played in a controversial loss to the Chiefs on Sunday night.

While discussing the positive contributions of the Jets’ defense, Rodgers casually jabbed Kelce with the nickname.

“Our defense played really well and Mr. Pfizer didn’t have a crazy impact on the game,” Rodgers remarked.

The nickname stems from Kelce being a paid spokesman for the COVID-19 booster shot from Pfizer.

Do you watch the NFL?

Rodgers, for the unaware, has been a known and vocal critic of COVID-19 vaccines, so “Mr. Pfizer” wasn’t exactly a compliment, coming from him.

Kelce, who clearly caught wind of that new title, responded to Rodgers during Friday’s media session.

After being broached about the nickname, Kelce responded: “Haha, I thought [the nickname] was pretty good. I mean with the ’stache right now, I look like a guy named Mr. Pfizer. Who knew I’d get into the vax wars with Aaron Rodgers? Mr. Pfizer versus the Johnson & Johnson family.”

Related:
LGBT Activism on the Ropes: 'No One Wants to Join That Team'

(The “Johnson & Johnson” dig is aimed at the fact that Rodgers currently collects a paycheck from Jets team owner Woody Johnson, an heir to the same Johnson & Johnson that has produced a COVID-19 vaccine.)

It’s at this point, however, that things took a turn for the much more serious.

When asked why he accepted that paid spokesman role with Pfizer, Kelce struggled to offer an eloquent response.

“I mean I’ve always been, you know,” Kelce said, before pivoting. “Once I got the vaccine I … I got it because of, uh, you know, keeping myself safe, keeping my family safe, the people in this building [safe.]

“So yeah, I stand by it.”

While the truth of the matter is that Kelce really probably just accepted the role for the untold amounts of money that Pfizer handed him, the fact that he couldn’t even come up with a fabrication as to why he accepted the role and peddled this vaccine is rather telling.

For as much flak as Aaron Rodgers sometimes does genuinely deserve, and for however wrong he may be sometimes, the man at least appears to have the courage of his convictions.

He talks a big, weird game, but genuinely seems to believe it.

The same clearly cannot be said for Kelce, after the way he floundered when asked about why he supported the vaccine. Some inexplicable and abstract sense of “safety” is hardly a good reason to inject anything into one’s veins.

(To be clear, this is not an anti-vaccination rant. Most vaccines just need decades of data to really be properly studied, and that’s literally impossible for a vaccine that rolled out in late 2020.)

The only thing Kelce could muster was a word salad before spilling into words that sounded nice, but didn’t actually mean anything.

Actually, upon second thought, perhaps Kelce and Swift might, in fact, be a perfect couple.


 

 

A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

I walked into the office one morning and noticed something strange. Half of The Western Journal’s readership was missing.

It had finally happened. Facebook had flipped THE switch.

Maybe it was because we wrote about ivermectin. Or election integrity. Or the Jan. 6 detainees. Or ballot mules.

Whatever the reason, I immediately knew what to do. We had to turn to you because, frankly, we know you are the only ones we can trust.

Can you help? Every donation to The Western Journal goes directly to funding our team of story researchers, writers and editors who doggedly pursue the truth and expose the corrupt elites.

Can I count on you for a small donation? We operate on a shoestring compared to other news media companies, so I can personally promise that not a penny of your donation will be wasted.

 

We will use every single cent to fight against the lies and corruption in high places. And as long as we have your help, we will never give up.

Sincerely,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

The Western Journal

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , ,
Share
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.
Birthplace
Hawaii
Education
Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, Korean
Topics of Expertise
Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation