GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is responding after one of the 50 voters who assign the NFL Most Valuable Player award say he refuses to consider him.
Longtime NFL reporter Hub Arkush made the revelation on the Parkins & Spiegel Show Tuesday on 670 The Score, stating that he thinks Rodgers is a "bad guy."
“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," Arkush said.
- READ MORE: 'He's a bad guy': Longtime NFL reporter says he refuses to vote for Aaron Rodgers for MVP
“I’ve been pretty consistent about that all year. 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," he explained.
Arkush's issue seems to boil down to two main points: First, the drama Rodgers contributed to in the offseason by refusing to put to rest speculation about where he'd spend the 2021-22 season. Second, Rodgers' deceptive statements about whether or not he was vaccinated, which led to him missing a game against Kansas City when he was placed on the team's reserve/COVID list.
On weekly availability Aaron Rodgers says Hub Arkush not voting for him in MVP race: he’s a bum. An absolute bum. His problem is I’m not vaccinated. If that’s the case then make it the most vaccinated player #Packers pic.twitter.com/VkK9NlUrtk
— Lance Allan (@lanceallan) January 5, 2022
Rodgers had something to say regarding the incident when asked about it on Wednesday.
"I think he’s an absolute bum. He doesn’t know me. I don’t know who he is. No one knew who he was, probably, until yesterday’s comments," Rodgers said. "His problem is I’m not vaccinated. So if he wants to go on a crusade and collude and come up with an extra letter to put on the award just for this season and make it the ‘Most Valuable Vaccinated Player,’ then he should do that."
You can read Rodgers' full response below or watch it here:
“I think he’s a bum. I think he’s an absolute bum. He doesn’t know me. I don’t know who he is. No one knew who he was, probably, until yesterday’s comments. And I listened to the comments. But to say he had his mind made up in the summertime, in the off-season that I had zero chance of winning MVP, in my opinion, that should exclude [him from] future votes. His problem isn’t with me being a ‘bad guy’ or ‘the biggest jerk in the league’ — because he doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know anything about me. I’ve never met him. I’ve never had lunch with him. I’ve never had an interview with him. His problem is I’m not vaccinated. So if he wants to go on a crusade and collude and come up with an extra letter to put on the award just for this season and make it the ‘Most Valuable Vaccinated Player,’ then he should do that. But he’s a bum. And I’m not going to waste any time worrying about that stuff. He has no idea who I am. He’s never talked to me in his life. But it’s unfortunate that those sentiments... It’s surprising that he would even say that, to be honest. But I knew this was possible. I talked about it on McAfee weeks ago. But…crazy.”
NBC Sports also reported Wednesday that Arkush admitted he "made a big mistake" disclosing his voting plans.
I made a terrible mistake Tuesday with my Aaron Rodgers comments. It was completely my fault. There is no one else to blame, and I am here to try and apologize.
— Hub Arkush (@Hub_Arkush) January 6, 2022
My column is unlocked and free for all to read here:https://t.co/eVJuzhMccu
According to NBC Sports, Rodgers previously mentioned on the Pat McAfee Show that he assumed he would be "canceled" for lying about his vaccination status. However, most of the criticism has been directed at Arkush for his reasoning behind disqualifying Rodgers from his MVP vote.
NBC Sports also reports that Rodgers is the front-runner to win his second consecutive AP MVP award and fourth overall. He currently leads the league with a 111.1 passer rating.
