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Packers' Aaron Rodgers Responds to Hub Arkush After MVP Voting Comments: 'He's A Bum'
January 5, 2022
Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers pushed back against a member of the NFL media who said he won't vote for Rodgers on his MVP ballot largely for off-field reasons.
During a press conference Wednesday, Rodgers called writer Hub Arkush an "absolute bum" and said, "His problem is I'm not vaccinated."
Dov Kleiman @NFL_DovKleiman.<a href="https://twitter.com/AaronRodgers12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronRodgers12</a> opened about the comments reporter <a href="https://twitter.com/Hub_Arkush?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Hub_Arkush</a> made: “I think he’s a bum. I think he’s an absolute bum."<br><br>"His problem with me is that I'm not vaccinated."<a href="https://t.co/h9XURmZgFE">pic.twitter.com/h9XURmZgFE</a>
Arkush said Tuesday on 670 The Score's Parkins & Spiegel Show that he didn't think Rodgers was deserving of the MVP.
"I don't think you can be the biggest jerk in the league and punish your team and your organization and your fanbase the way he did and be the Most Valuable Player," Arkush said.
He added the Packers quarterback "hurt his team on the field by the way he acted off the field."
Arkush acknowledged Wednesday on 670 The Score's Bernstein & Rahimi (via the Chicago Sun-Times' Jeff Agrest) that he "made a big mistake last night" and that his comments have become part of the conversation about this year's MVP race.
Rodgers has a strong case to collect the NFL's top individual honor for a fourth time. He has thrown for 3,977 yards, 35 touchdowns and four interceptions in 15 games. Green Bay has clinched the top seed in the NFC as well.
Rodgers' value to the team was evident when he missed a Week 9 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs. Backup Jordan Love finished 19-of-34 for 190 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while the Packers' 301 yards of offense were well below their season average (364.8).
The 10-time Pro Bowler is the heavy favorite (-400) at DraftKings Sportsbook in MVP odds. He's trailed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady (+500), Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow (+1000) and Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor (+1600).
Player awards are subjective, and MVP might be the most obvious example.
This season, one could argue in favor of somebody other than Rodgers without making it about his COVID-19 controversy.
Taylor has 2,076 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Imagine where the Colts would be without him.
Likewise, Burrow is the symbol for a revitalized Bengals squad. He has 4,611 passing yards and 34 touchdowns and leads the league in completion percentage (70.4).
Los Angeles Rams star Cooper Kupp has the fifth-most receiving yards (1,829) in a single season and could bring down the record mark of 1,964 set by Calvin Johnson in 2012.
But all of that is likely to take a back seat to the discourse sparked by Arkush.
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