Aaron Rodgers sparked a Twitter frenzy after he mentioned having Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged on his bookshelf during an appearance on ESPN.
The NFL quarterback was speaking on Monday Night Football with Eli and Peyton Manning when he was praised for his bookshelf backdrop. The first book he mentioned having on the shelf was Atlas Shrugged – a fictional book that some consider controversial for promoting selfishness as something good.
The Green Bay Packers star previously caused a stir when he refused to get vaccinated and then asked controversial podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan for advice on dealing with Covid-19.
“I consulted with a now-good friend of mine, Joe Rogan, after he got Covid and I’ve been doing a lot of the stuff that he recommended in his podcasts and on the phone to me,” Mr Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show on SiriusXM Radio in November. “I’ve been taking monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, zinc, vitamin C, and D, [hydroxychloroquine], and I feel pretty incredible.”
The Federal Drug Administration state on its site that they have “received multiple reports of patients who have required medical attention, including hospitalization, after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for livestock”.
The agency adds that they have “not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating Covid-19 in humans or animals. Ivermectin is approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice and skin conditions”.
“Aaron Rodgers on the Manningcast just namechecked Atlas Shrugged as the main book on his shelf and let’s be honest if a Hollywood screenwriter put that in someone would make them take it out for being too on the nose,” Washington Post writer Steven Zeitchik tweeted.
“Aaron Rodgers is a dumb person’s version of a smart person,” TV writer Bryan Behar added.
“Seriously, somebody take away this man’s internet. Joe Rogan is making him dumber by the second,” another Twitter user said.
Dr Sarah Parcak tweeted that “you can’t spell ‘Atlas Shrugged’ without ‘HUGE A**’.”
Charlotte Clymer said the book “has never been an inaccurate red flag”.
Less than 24 hours after causing the Twitter storm, Mr Rodgers claimed he had never read the book.
“I actually have never even read it,” Mr Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show.
“Just openly f**king with people!” Mr McAfee said. “That is awesome!”
