The Bizarre Twist With Writer Calling Aaron Rodgers ‘Biggest Jerk in the League’: TRAINA THOUGHTS

1. As I’m sure you know by now, because everyone has been freaking out about it for 24 hours, Hub Arkush, the executive editor for Pro Football Weekly, said he would not vote for Aaron Rodgers for NFL MVP during a radio appearance Tuesday.

Arkush said on Chicago’s 670 The Score, “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.”

He later added, “I just think that the way he’s carried himself is inappropriate. I think he’s a bad guy, and I don’t think a bad guy can be the most valuable guy at the same time.”

While most people are focused on the fact that Arkush won’t give Rodgers a vote for MVP, it’s the “biggest jerk in the league” and “bad guy” part that stuck with me.

I get that a lot of people have turned on Rodgers because of his “immunized” word game, and I understand people’s frustrations with the Packers quarterback acting like the victim of “woke culture,” but “biggest jerk in the league"? Really?

Just this season alone, we’ve seen:

Raiders rookie cornerback Nate Hobbs was arrested two days ago for DUI, just two months after his teammate, Henry Ruggs III, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence resulting in death, thanks to driving 156 miles an hour with a blood alcohol level twice above the legal limit.

Former Jaguars coach Urban Meyer left his team behind in Cleveland after a game earlier this season, so he could hang out in a bar, which included some grinding. Then he was accused of kicking one of his own players.

And former Raiders coach Jon Gruden was exposed for emailing racist and homophobic comments.

There are also players in the league who have assaulted women, been arrested for drunk driving and more.

So while you may be upset about the fact that Rodgers tried to get cute with his vaccination status and while you may hate the fact that he won’t get vaccinated, to make the leap to “biggest jerk in the league” seems awfully extreme.

Interestingly, though, Arbush did not specifically cite any of the vaccine controversies while bashing Rodgers. However, “punish your team, and your organization and your fan base the way he did” seems pretty clear on what he was referencing.

The irony is that Rodgers was a huge proponent of helping small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.

Last March, he donated $1 million to 80 locally owned businesses in California, while his foundation raised another $1.5 million in grants to distribute to struggling businesses. He also used his run as Jeopardy! guest host to raise money for charity.

And as for “punishing” his team, organization and fan base, the Packers are 13–3, will most likely have home field advantage in the playoffs and are the favorites to win the Super Bowl.

Biggest jerk in the league? Bad guy? Get some perspective, Hub.

2. LeBron James had no interest in the opening tip last night, and it was pretty funny.

Speaking of LeBron, he turned 37 years old on Dec. 30. Here's what he's done in his last nine games:

31 points/5 rebounds/5 assists
26/7/5
43/14/4
37/13/7
32/10/11
39/9/7
36/9/6
34/7/2
31/14/6

3. NHL ref Wes McCauley had another one of his classic moments last night.

Here is a compilation of some of McCauley's best work.

4. "This is a catastrophe." That was Scott Van Pelt recapping the surreal Pittsburgh–Michigan State Peach Bowl bad beat.

5. Dan Patrick recalls an old ESPN pickup hoops game, complete with trash talking, aggressive defense and injuries.

6. The latest Sports Illustrated Media Podcast is a year-end roundtable with Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager and CBS Sports Radio's Andrew Perloff.

Over the course of the one-hour conversation, we discussed the viral video of a reporter's asking Bill Belichick for his New Year's resolutions right after the Pats lost to the Bills, Fox's John Madden documentary and whether this NFL season has been tainted by so many players missing games because of COVID-19 protocols.

We also mentioned some sports media figures who stood out in 2021, looked back at the best comedies, dramas and documentaries each of us watched over the past year, talked about how we handle celebrity sightings, revealed our pop culture blind spots and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.

You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Every single one of us has a friend like this.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.