NFL cornerback calls out MVP voter, criticizes voting system
NFL veteran Casey Hayward called out the MVP voting process after one voter claimed he would not be voting for Aaron Rodgers due to personal reasons. Hub Arkush is one of the 50 voters selected by the Associated Press to vote on the NFL MVP, and Hayward feels he proves the system is flawed.
Flaw in NFL MVP voting?
On Tuesday, Chicago sports writer Hub Arkush said on a radio appearance that he would not be voting Aaron Rodgers for MVP because he was a “jerk” and a “bad guy.”
“And we let guys like Hub Arkush vote for awards and all-pros,” commented Hayward on the news. “Real flawed system. Trash system of picking who votes.”
Hayward is one of many voices calling for a closer look at the MVP voting process after Arkush’s reveal. The Associated Press chooses 50 people to vote after the NFL season for their MVP, and the NFL accepts this vote as their official MVP for the season.
While sports writers being involved with the awards process isn’t anything new, the public reveal of what goes on inside some voters minds has drawn questions about non-NFL people deciding the most prestigious NFL awards.
Voter does not like Aaron Rodgers
“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 said on 670 The Score in Chicago. “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 being a long-term Chicago sports writer has raised additional questions about his impartiality as the Bears and Packers are fierce rivals.