Packers' Aaron Rodgers hits back at MVP voter who criticized him

After surprising comments were made by an NFL MVP voter about Aaron Rodgers, the Packers' star quarterback has now had his say.

Hub Arkush vs Aaron Rodgers

It's been quite a week in the NFL. From covid-19 issues to Antonio Brown's apparent melt down, there has been no shortage of events. With the final week of the 2021 regular season coming to a close, it should have come as no surprise when the MVP contest added it's own flavor to an already full pot. Of course in any given year, the debate as to who is the most valuable player in the NFL will always be contentious, however, it seems unlikely that anyone could have foreseen the comments made recently about Aaron Rodgers by Hub Arkush.

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A Chicago sportscaster, analyst and executive editor of Pro Football Weekly, Arkush recently stated that he would not be giving his MVP vote to Rodgers on the grounds that the Packers quarterback was "the biggest jerk in the league." Further to that, Arkush went on to detail his thinking which seemed to focus more on off-field issues, rather than the standard of Rodgers play. There were also inevitable references to the scandal surrounding Rodgers lack of transparency when questioned earlier in the season about his vaccination status. There has since been immense criticism aimed at Arkush from both players in the league as well as the general public. On Wednesday Arkush actually admitted that he "made a big mistake," adding "The only thing I can do going forward is respect what I failed to respect last night and just not talk about it anymore until after the awards have been given."

Aaron Rodgers hits back

When questioned on Wednesday about Arkush's comments Rodgers was not only clear about his thoughts on the statements, but on the man himself. "I think he's a bum. I think he's an absolute bum," Rodgers said, "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."

Rodgers didn't stop there either, indeed the reigning league MVP went further. "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 ("The Pat McAfee Show") weeks ago. But…crazy." Rodgers was of course referring to his acknowledgment - on the show - of the idea that some voters might hold his vaccination stance against him.

Packers' coach Matt LaFleur weighs in

Asked about the feud between his player and Arkush, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said the only thing that should be considered in the voting is how someone plays on the field. "I don't know what else could factor into it than how somebody goes out and performs on a weekly basis," LaFleur said. "If people are going to judge people for differences of opinion or things that they have no idea what the heck they're talking about, then I think that just kind of discredits that award. I think we hold that award in high regard. I think most do. And I think it's an absolute privilege to be able to vote for that award. To consider anything else outside of what you see when that player's out there playing I think is a disservice to everybody."

LaFleur also addressed whether or not he would be resting some of his players ahead of their game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, given that it was essentially a 'meaningless game.' The Packers coach made clear it was not his to do so."We did some studies in terms of how other teams have fared when going into the final week of the season that had a bye, and it was overwhelmingly in favor of giving the guys at least some time," LaFleur said. "And so, certainly you weigh in that information, but you also talk to your players and these guys want to play. So that's how we're going to go about it."

The favorite is still Aaron Rodgers

Regardless of what Arkush said, the reality is Rodgers still remains the the favorite to win league MVP. Should he do so he will become the first player since Peyton Manning (2008, 2009) to be named NFL MVP in consecutive seasons. On the season so far Rodgers has thrown 35 touchdown passes and had just four interceptions for a total of 3,977 yards while completing 68.6% of his passes. Impressive numbers indeed, which he can actually add to on Sunday. "I think the MVP should be about the most valuable player on the team," Rodgers said. "A lot of times it goes to the best player on the best team, and we're the best team. So if voters want to use the off-season or don't like my stance being unvaccinated, that's their prerogative. I don't think it's right, but that's their prerogative."