Once again, Aaron Rodgers appears to have misled the public about a COVID-related health issue. This time the Green Bay Packers quarterba...
Once again, Aaron Rodgers appears to have misled the public about a COVID-related health issue.
This time the Green Bay Packers quarterback claims he wasn't being serious during Tuesday's interview with SiriusXM's Pat McAfee when he said he was suffering from 'COVID toe,' which is something that has actually plagued people who have contracted the virus, such as Rodgers.
'No lingering effects other than the Covid toe,' Rodgers told McAfee on Tuesday when asked about his recent bout with COVID-19. Although he did chuckle, Rodgers did not explain that he was joking at the time.
During a video press conference with reporters on Wednesday, however, the embattled NFL MVP explained that he actually has a fractured toe, and not any lesions that are associated with COVID toe, or pernio, as it is also known.
To prove his point, Rodgers showed his bare foot to the camera while blaming the media for reporting his comments on Tuesday.
'I mentioned yesterday that it's worse than turf toe and it must be a bone issue,' he said, as quoted by Pro Football Talk. 'I can't believe I have to come on here and talk about my medical information — but yeah, I have a fractured toe.
'I've never heard of COVID toe before,' he continued. 'I have no lesions on my feet. It's just a classic case of disinformation. It's surprising coming from what used to be a reputable journalistic institution. But that's the world we live in these days.'
Aaron Rodgers proved he does not have any lesions on his toes by revealing his foot on camera
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who is 1-1 since being sidelined with coronavirus , is currently battling a foot problem known as 'COVID toe,' he told SiriusXM host Pat McAfee on Tuesday
This is the second time this season Rodgers has confused the public over his health issues.
Previously, when asked in August if he was vaccinated against COVID-19, he told reporters that he was 'immunized,' which made it sound as though he had received the injection.
Earlier this month it was revealed that Rodgers was, in fact, not vaccinated when he contracted COVID-19 and was forced to quarantine for 10 days -- the minimum amount of time an unvaccinated player must be away from the team, per league rules.
After initially blaming the media for the misunderstanding, Rodgers apologized in a November 9 interview 'to anybody who felt misled.'
It may sound like a pseudoscientific diagnosis, but Covid toe, also known as pernio or chilblains, has been found 'with increasing frequency in children and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic,' according to a recent study in the British Journal of Dermatology. The condition can result in discoloration or lesions around the toes, and as Rodgers said after Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, it is 'very, very painful'
It would not have been an unusual occurrence for Rodgers to battle COVID toe after being infected with the virus, as he was earlier this month.
It may sound like a pseudoscientific diagnosis, but COVID toe, also known as pernio or chilblains, has been found 'with increasing frequency in children and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic,' according to a recent study in the British Journal of Dermatology.
The condition can result in discoloration or lesions around the toes.
Researchers believe that COVID toes are caused by excess interferon, which is a protein the body uses to fight infection.
'The way I would think about it is it's basically a side effect of how your own immune system is fighting the virus,' Esther Freeman, a doctor and principal investigator for the Covid-19 Dermatology Registry, told The Wall Street Journal. 'It's part of our body's response to the response to the virus. It's almost too much of a good thing.'
Typically the issues subside within one to four weeks of the COVID-19 infection, according to Freeman.
'The best way to avoid Covid Toes is to get vaccinated,' Freeman said.
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