• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 17, 2021

Spinning good TV and financial messaging is necessary to a highly valued NFL brand when the quarterback comes back from a COVID-19 controversy and leads your team to victory.

It's also useful when putting prized NFL team shares on the market.

The Green Bay Packers are selling 300,000 shares, at $300 a share. The publicly owned, nonprofit Wisconsin-based company that owns the NFL team Packers rarely makes stock offerings. This is the sixth time in its history; the first was in 1923.

One downside: The stock has no “underlying” value and cannot be traded on publicly traded markets. Yes, we are talking about the reality for loyal fans, the Cheeseheads!

The proceeds will be used to make improvements to Lambeau Field.

This move comes a day after Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the team to a 17-0 victory over the Seattle Seahawks -- which comes just after Rodgers was suspended for 10 days for not wearing a mask while not being vaccinated.

Rodgers experienced a high level of criticism -- and a subsequent $300,000 fine by the NFL for the team and $14,650 for Rodgers (which translates into $33 for the average American) -- for failing to observe league protocols.

During a press conference a while back, he said he was “immunized” -- a fuzzy term at best.

The NFL allows players to choose not to be vaccinated. But if that’s the case, they need to be regularly tested, masked and limited to groups of a few people. Such players are required to wear masks, especially during public events like press conferences.

Lambeau Field faithful Packers fans greeted Rodgers return to the team with big cheers -- something also seen by TV audiences. Nielsen metrics showed 22.7 million viewers tuned in. The Packers now have an 8-2 record, tied for the best results in the NFL.

For his part, Rodgers said on Sirius XM's “The Pat McAfee Show”: “To anybody that felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility for those comments.”

Should the team make it to the playoffs, high TV viewing in the future will probably follow.

First, let’s go back to the week before, when Rodgers wasn’t playing due to the 10-day rule regarding his positive COVID-19 result.

In a high-profile match-up featuring the Packers versus the Kansas City Chiefs, Nielsen recorded 24.4 million average viewers on Fox -- one of the highest-rated games of the year, and the most-watched afternoon game of the NFL season.

Greater scrutiny and attention are likely to build, especially if the Packers continue to win. Will that be good for TV and TV marketers? One sponsorship deal for Rodgers with health provider Prevea was axed as a result of the incident.

Rodgers is also a State Farm TV spokesperson. But that relationship continues. “We don’t support some of the statements that he has made, but we respect his right to have his own personal point of view,” the company stated.

A recent TV commercial had Rodgers in a game-show format -- a spin perhaps on Rodgers' guest host stint on “Jeopardy.” It ran during the CBS’ Packers-Seahawks game on Sunday, as well as during CBS’ Philadelphia Eagles-Denver Broncos that followed.

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” did a parody of Rodgers recently, adding to the exposure. Now we just need one more visual -- like Rodgers wearing the mask in public, perhaps with some insider messaging on the front.

After the Seattle game, in an interview, he still wore no mask. He sported a beanie -- which doesn’t count. Rodgers said he felt “misty.” Extra cheese, please.