Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers took a swipe Thursday at the business-destroying coronavirus rules slammed onto California’s small businesses by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In an interview with watch manufacturer Zenith Watches, Rodgers talked about his high-profile relationship with actress Shailene Woodley and other goings-on in his life, but the conversation soon swung to his efforts to help out small businesses in his native state of California.

Rodgers noted that he has “Been doing some work actually in my hometown in Northern California as well to try and help some people through a small business fund that we started.”

The Packers star added that he just hopes to do his part to help his neighbors.

“You know, we’re just trying to do our part and as we ease back into the training stuff in my professional life, I just want to make sure where I’m from and the area I’ve called home in the past are doing OK,” Rodgers continued. “And California has really been hit hard by COVID and by the rules that the governor has put in place as well. It’s been nice to be able to help some people out and I think we’re all just waiting for a little bit of hope on the horizon.”

The Instagram interview was not the first time that Rodgers spoke about the detrimental effect that Newsom’s orders have had on the state.

Rodgers went even further into the terrible effect Newsom’s orders have had in an interview with The Pat McAfee Show back in January when he praised the efforts to help small businesses launched by Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports.

“It’s just an amazing deal what they’re doing. I mean, to be able to not only change people’s lives and livelihoods but to do it in such a timely fashion, Rodgers said of the Barstool Sports Fund. “I mean the money is going out 24 to 72 hours and I think there was just such a need if you look around our environment today, it’s not like the government is really helping anybody out in a timely fashion.

“I mean, they took forever to figure out how to give $600 checks away and then, you know, may or may not get to 2,000 this point. That’s not life-changing money. What Dave [Portnoy] and his folks are doing with the Barstool Fund is life-changing money. It’s sustainability for these people and I think that’s the thing you gravitate towards the most is just not having a reliance on the government to help you out because it’s obviously shown that’s not going to be the way they’re going to do it,” Rodgers said.

He went on to tell listeners that Gov. Newsom has been crushing the small businesses in California and then acting the hypocrite by not following his own rules.

“I mean, they put these rules in place … they’re not even following their own rules,” Rodgers exclaimed. “How many people have gotten caught? Don’t travel, don’t leave the state. Oh, here’s so-and-so on a vacation. Oh, here’s so-and-so at a salon. 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. Oh, public schools are closed but I can send my kids to a private school in person. It’s like, I mean, for us to count on the government to help us out is becoming a joke at this point.”

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