Aaron Rodgers fired back at a longtime NFL reporter who said the Green Bay Packers quarterback was a "bad guy" -- and that he wouldn't be voting for him as most valuable player.
LIVE: @AaronRodgers12 meets with the media https://t.co/XHZCwdnJFw
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 5, 2022
“I think he’s a bum. I think he’s an absolute bum,” Rodgers said on Wednesday when asked about Hub Arkush's radio interview from Tuesday on 670 The Score in Chicago.
“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 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."
Arkush, the executive editor of Pro Football Weekly, said in the interview: “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.
"Has he been the most valuable on the field? Yeah, you can make that argument. But I don’t think he’s clearly that much more valuable than Jonathan Taylor or Cooper Kupp or maybe even Tom Brady. And so from where I sit, the rest of it is why he’s not going to be my choice. 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. Others do that I’ve spoken to.”
Arkush, appearing on the same station on Wednesday, apologized for his comments.
.@Hub_Arkush called it a "big mistake" to publicly proclaim he wasn't voting Aaron Rodgers for MVP.
As for his reasoning?
Hub: “I didn’t say very well what I wanted to say. All you can do is own it, and I own it.”
Full segment w/ @BernsteinRahimi:https://t.co/KwRkEcIKW0 pic.twitter.com/9gVTxsOBZg— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 5, 2022
He also wrote similarly in his column on Wednesday.
"I made a big mistake last night and it doesn't really have much to do with Aaron Rodgers," Arkush said. "Being one of the 50 selectors in the AP poll is a real honour and a privilege. ... The only thing they really ask us is not to tell people who we voted for until the award is presented. And what they really mean is just don't talk about it. ... All you can do is own it, and I own it."
Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 3 and had to miss 10 days because he is unvaccinated against COVID-19.
The 37-year-old said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show he sought alternative treatments instead of the NFL-endorsed COVID-19 vaccinations because of an allergy he has to ingredients in two of the FDA-approved shots.
The NFL fined Rodgers $14,650 for breaking the league's COVID-19 rules.
Rodgers said over the summer he was "immunized" against COVID-19 -- and has insisted he did not lie about his vaccination status.
The three-time MVP is considered one of the favourites to win the award this season.
The Packers carry a league-leading 13-3 record into their season finale against the Detroit Lions.
