NFL MVP voter says Aaron Rodgers won't be getting his vote for being the "biggest jerk in the league"
Aaron Rodgers has been one of the most consistent players in the NFL this season. He's been so consistent that a second consecutive MVP award is within reach.
But with stiff competition and off-the-field drama, Rodgers might be held back from winning the award.
Among those who may use off-the-field drama for their votes is NFL reporter Hub Arkush. Arkush works for Chicagofootball.com and recently appeared on 670 The Score to talk about his MVP vote.
He made it abundantly clear he has no interest in giving Aaron Rodgers his vote.
Here’s the audio of an MVP voter going on the record and saying he won’t vote for Aaron Rodgers because he’s “the biggest jerk in the league” and “the way he’s carried himself is inappropriate.”
🗣 Your personal feelings don’t matter.
(via @670TheScore)
https://t.co/1mG5q6aR4z
NFL MVP voter won't vote for Aaron Rodgers due to citing him as the "biggest jerk in the league"
Arkush takes issue with how Aaron Rodgers has treated the Green Bay Packers fanbase. Rodgers famously tried to force his way out of Green Bay in the offseason to no avail.
With the season almost over, Rodgers' future is unclear, and Arkush feels he's dragging them along for the ride. He said,
“I don’t think you can be the biggest jerk in the league and punish your team, and your organization and your fan base the way he did and be the Most Valuable Player.”
"Has he been the most valuable on the field? Yeah, you could make that argument, but I don't think he's been clearly that much more valuable than Jonathan Taylor or Cooper Kupp, or maybe even Tom Brady."
Next, Arkush went into great detail on his approach to voting for the award. He cites Cooper Kupp, Jonathan Taylor and Tom Brady as three players he sees as more valuable to their team than Aaron Rodgers.
He then admits that he's not supposed to say who he's voting for per committee rules.
Arkush is obviously aware that despite his feelings about Aaron Rodgers, the three-time NFL MVP has had a season to be placed into consideration as the frontrunner in the eyes of many.
Arkush continued,
A lot of voters don’t approach it the way I do, but others do, who I’ve spoken to. But one of the ways we get to keep being voters is we’re not allowed to say who we are voting for until after the award has been announced. I’m probably pushing the envelope by saying who I’m not voting for. But we’re not really supposed to reveal our votes.”
Arkush's arguments for Taylor, Cupp, and Brady are understandable. All three have been truly outstanding this season.
But Aaron Rodgers is by far the most efficient quarterback in the league. While Brady has raw statistics on his side, Rodgers has managed the game better than Brady on a play-by-play basis.
Bucs fans love to bring up the raw numbers but Aaron Rodgers efficiency stats are unmatched.
1st EPA+CPOE
1st adjusted EPA/play
1st in EPA/play
2nd in CPOE
1st in QBR
1st in passer rating
1st in ANY/A
1st in TD%
1st in INT %
Best player on a per-play basis in the NFL.
Arkush also describes how voters are supposed to pick their MVP. He says he's allowed to take off-the-field elements and personality into consideration as it's not just a strictly on-the-field award. He said,
"There’s no guidelines... We are told to pick the guy who we think is most valuable to his team. And I don’t think it says anywhere, ‘strictly on the field,’ although I do think he hurt his team on the field by the way he acted off the field. They’re gonna get the No. 1 seed anyway, but what if the difference had come down to the Chiefs game, where he lied about being vaccinated, and they ended up getting beat?”
Aaron Rodgers' lie about being vaccinated against COVID-19 could come back to bite him in the MVP voting. Arkush also guaranteed that he isn't the only person not voting for him because of this. Arkush said,
“I can guarantee you I will not be the only one not voting for him...I just think that the way he’s carried himself is inappropriate,” Arkush said. “I think he’s a bad guy, and I don’t think a bad guy can be the most valuable guy at the same time.”
Aaron Rodgers has his work cut out for him to win the MVP. Kupp, Taylor, and Brady are deserving of the award. Now Rodgers' off-the-field drama could come back to bite him.
After Arkush's interview, we know Rodgers won't win the MVP unanimously.