In advance of his 19th playoff game for the Green Bay Packers this weekend, NFL star Aaron Rodgers is calling out California's Democratic governor Gavin Newsom for breaking his own coronavirus restrictions.
In an interview on the Pat McAfee Show, the California native said he has stopped counting on the government for guidance during the coronavirus crisis largely due to the hypocrisy exhibited by government officials.
"Don’t eat out at a restaurant unless you’re wearing a mask and separate, oh here’s a picture of the governor of California violating those rules," Rodgers said, in an apparent reference to Newsom's now-infamous trip to the swanky French Laundry restaurant last November. "For us to count on the government to help us out is becoming a joke at this point."
Newsom, amid restrictions he himself put in place against indoor dining, was photographed attending a lobbyist-filled birthday party at the posh Napa Valley French restaurant. The dinner party violated California’s indoor dining restrictions, which prohibit more than three households from gathering, and require six feet of distance between diners.
Rodgers's comments come at a difficult time for Newsom—over one million Californians have signed onto a petition to force him into a recall election, and former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer has officially filed an exploratory committee to challenge him. Additionally, Newsom’s California Democratic Party allies are under fire for referring to the ongoing recall Gavin campaign as a "coup."
The California Republican Party thanked Rodgers, a native of Chico, Calif., who played football at the University of California, for speaking out against government hypocrisy.
"We appreciate [Rodgers] taking a stand for his home and recognizing that leaders like himself need to support Californians since hypocritical politicians like [Newsom] have failed to do so," the party wrote on Twitter.