Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur had a strong rebuttal to Hub Arkush’s opinion of Aaron Rodgers and the NFL MVP vote on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Arkush, one of the 50 voters for the Associated Press, said he wouldn’t be voting for Rodgers, who he called the “biggest jerk in the league.” He also claimed the Packers quarterback acted in an “inappropriate” manner during the offseason and in regards to his COVID-19 vaccination status, eliminating him as the top MVP candidate.
Asked about the voting process, LaFleur backed his quarterback and said nothing but on-field play should be considered when determining the NFL MVP.
“I don’t know what else could factor into it other than how someone 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 are talking about, then I think that kind of discredits that award. 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 is out there playing, I think is a disservice to everybody.”
The Associated Press has been voting on the official NFL MVP award since 1957. Rodgers, the league’s reigning MVP, has won the award three times. If he wins again this season, he’d become just the second player to win it four or more times, joining Peyton Manning.
Entering Week 18, Rodgers leads the NFL in touchdown percentage, interception percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio, passer rating, QBR and adjusted net yards per attempt. He’s also the NFL’s leader in Expected Points Added per play.
Most sportsbooks have Rodgers as the runaway favorite to be MVP. In fact, he had -450 odds at Tipico as of Tuesday, implying he has over an 80 percent chance of winning the award.
Rodgers and the Packers finish the season against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. LaFleur is planning to play Rodgers and the rest of the team’s starters in the season finale despite already clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
