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'He's a fat man!' Rodgers sounded off on the reporter's comments.
The Packers quarterback feels that he's being targeted unfairly due to his vaccination status, and he's not happy with Chicago-based reporter Hub Arkush's comments. (0:33)
4:39 PM
Rodgers had strong words for the voter who said he wouldn't cast his vote for the Packers quarterback because he's a bad guy.
The comments came from Hub Arkush, a reporter who owns one of the 50 votes for The Associated Press' Most Valuable Player award.
Rodgers thinks he's a bad guy. I think he's a total loser. He doesn't know me. I don't know who he is, and no one knew who he was until yesterday's comments. I listened to the comments but he said that I had no chance of winning the award and should exclude future votes. His problem is not with me being a bad guy or the biggest jerk in the league. He doesn't know me.
Arkush, who is the editor of Pro Football Weekly and contributes to other Chicago-area media, made his comments on Chicago radio station 670 The Score and has since said he regrets saying he wouldn't vote for Rodgers because of his off-the-field habits.
Rodgers said that his problem was that he was not vaccinations. If he wants to go on a crusade and collude with someone else to get the Most Valuable Player award for this season, then he should do that. I'm not going to worry about that stuff. He doesn't know who I am. He has never spoken to me in his life.
Rodgers acknowledged last month during one of his weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show that some voters might hold that against him. Rodgers missed one game because he was unvaccinated and had to go through a 10 day quark. Rodgers told reporters before the season that he had been "immunized" against COVID-19, which led to his being exposed as an unvaccinated player.
Arkush said on The Score that he doesn't think you can be the biggest jerk in the league and punish your team and fans the way he did. Has he been the most valuable on the field? You could argue that he is more valuable than Jonathan Taylor or Cooper Kupp, but I don't think so. From where I sit, the rest of it is why he's not going to be my choice.
Arkush thinks that the way he carries himself is inappropriate. I don't think a bad guy can be the most valuable guy at the same time. Arkush said he regrets putting other voters in a position to have to answer questions about their votes.
He said he would not talk about it until after the awards were given.
The AP award is the official award, but the NFL is not involved in the process.
The only thing that should be considered in the voting is how someone plays on the field, according to Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
"I don't know what other factors could be used to factor it into it," LaFleur said. If people are going to judge people for their differing opinions, that kind of undermines the award. We hold that award in high regard. I think most of them do. I think it's a privilege to vote for that award. I don't think it's a good idea to consider anything else besides what you see when that player is playing.
The Packers lost the game Rodgers missed, but still secured the top seed in the playoffs. Heading into the regular-season finale, they're 13-3
Rodgers thinks the most valuable player on the team should be named the Most Valuable Player. Sometimes it goes to the best player on the best team, and we're the best team. If voters want to use the off-season or not like my stance being unvaccinated, that's their prerogative. I don't think it's right, but they have the right to do that.
Rodgers has thrown 35 touchdown passes and only four interceptions for 3,977 yards and a 68.6 percent completion rate.
He will have the chance to add to it on Sunday against the Lions, because LaFleur said he does not plan to hold out healthy players. That doesn't mean they will play the whole game.
When other teams have a bye, it's overwhelmingly in favor of giving the guys at least some time to recuperate. You also talk to your players and they want to play. We're going to do it that way.
