Aaron Rodgers may be the favorite to win this year's NFL Most Valuable Player award, but at least one of the 50 voters who assign the prize says he refuses to consider the Green Bay star.
Longtime NFL reporter Hub Arkush made the revelation on the Parkins & Spiegel Show Tuesday on 670 The Score, explaining 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 explained.
“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 added.
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.
“They’re going to get the #1 seed anyway, but what if the difference had come down to the Chiefs game, where he lied about being vaccinated, and ended up not playing, and they got beat?" Arkush asked.
"He ruined the entire offseason for that football team," Arkush added.
At the end of the day, even Arkush concedes that when it comes to the game of football, nobody does it better.
“Has he been the most valuable player on the field? Yeah you can make that argument.”
According to OddsShark.com, Rodgers is currently the overwhelming favorite to win his 4th MVP award. Arkush seems to see that writing on the wall as well.
“Do I think he’s going to win it? Probably. A lot of the voters don’t approach it the same way that I do," he said.
Rodgers and the Packers take on the Detroit Lions this Sunday, January 9, before enjoying the NFC's lone bye week as the playoffs begin.
The NFL's MVP award will be announced in a two-hour "NFL Honors" television special that will air on NBC 26 at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 10.
