A veteran NFL reporter took heat on Tuesday when he revealed he will not give Aaron Rodgers an MVP vote due to off-field issues, and Rodgers did not exactly take the high road when asked about the remarks.
Hub Arkush, the editor of Pro Football Weekly, said during a radio appearance that Rodgers does not deserve to be MVP again because he is a “jerk.” He said you can make a case that Rodgers is the most valuable player on his team but that you should not win the award if you are “the biggest jerk in the league and punish your team and your organization and your fanbase the way he did.” You can listen to the comments here.
Rodgers was asked on Wednesday about Arkush bashing him. He returned the favor, calling Arkush an “absolute bum.” Rodgers also said Arkush’s only issue with him is that he did not get the COVID-19 vaccine.
.@AaronRodgers12 opened about the comments reporter @Hub_Arkush made: “I think he’s a bum. I think he’s an absolute bum."
"His problem with me is that I'm not vaccinated."https://t.co/h9XURmZgFE
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 5, 2022
“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. Nobody knew who he was, probably, until yesterday’s comments. … His problem isn’t with me being a bad guy or the biggest jerk in the league. He doesn’t know anything about me. 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. He’s a bum. I’m not gonna waste any time worrying about that stuff.”
Arkush didn’t mention anything specifically about Rodgers’ vaccination status, but the way Rodgers handled that situation angered a lot of people. Arkush was critical of Rodgers for what he did to the Packers and their fan base, so that was likely a reference to the QB demanding a trade.
It’s one thing to argue that other players like Tom Brady, Jonathan Taylor or Cooper Kupp have been more valuable to their teams than Rodgers. But Rodgers’ behavior — whether you agree with it or not — clearly has not negatively impacted the Packers. They’re the best team in the NFL by record. Arkush’s rationale is totally out of whack, and many within the NFL community called him on it.
Rodgers could have ignored Arkush altogether, but it’s no surprise he didn’t. The 38-year-old has been fed up with the media this season and even shown it with his wardrobe on occasions.
Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
