AP Boots Voter Who Refused To Vote Aaron Rodgers For MVP Because Of His Covid Vaccine Stance

NEW YORK -- The Associated Press has dropped the MVP Award voter who last season said he wouldn't cast his vote for Aaron Rodgers. He said it was in part because the quarterback refused to take the COVD-19 shot, a source told OutKick on Tuesday.

Longtime Pro Football Weekly publisher Hub Arkush called Rodgers "a jerk" and a "bad guy" who was hurting his team. This followed revelations Rodgers had not taken the shot but told reporters he was "immunized."

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 25: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers walks off the field after beating the Cleveland Browns 24-22 at Lambeau Field on December 25, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The AP is revamping its list of voters this year because some died while others have retired. But the Arkush decision, the source told OutKick, is because he violated the voting rules by revealing his vote publicly before he cast it.

Arkush argued Rodgers was not a good person because he did not take the COVID-19 shot, was vague with reporters on the subject early in the season, and then was forced to miss a November game because he tested positive for COVID.

Hub Arkush Defends His Stance

“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,” Arkush told Chicago's 670 The Score in January ahead of the AP vote. “Has he been the most valuable on the field? Yeah, you could make that argument. But I don’t think he is clearly that much more valuable than Jonathan Taylor or Cooper Kupp or maybe even Tom Brady.

"So from where I sit, the rest of it is why he’s not gonna be my choice. Do I think he’s gonna win it? Probably. A lot of voters don’t approach it the way I do, but others do, who I’ve spoken to. But one of the ways we get to keep being voters is we’re not allowed to say who we are voting for until after the award has been announced. I’m probably pushing the envelope by saying who I’m not voting for. But we’re not really supposed to reveal our votes."

Arkush's argument ultimately didn't represent a majority of AP voters. Rodgers was selected as the league's most valuable player for the fourth time in his career.

It should be noted Rodgers last season threw 37 TD passes against 7 interceptions for 4,115 yards. He completed 68.9 percent of his passes in the 16 games he played.

It should also be noted many NFL players missed games last year because of COVID. Some were not vaccinated. And some were.

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