Aaron Rodgers is Mr. 2005 Draft Steal, he was a Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year candidate, he's a Super Bowl champion and MVP, and now he is AP's 2011 Male Athlete of the Year. Who knew having a bad relationship with Brett Favre would pay such dividends?
After taking the Packers to their first title since 1996-1997 and starting the 2011 season with a 13-game winning streak, Rodgers beat out Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander as the most impressive male athlete of the year. Of the 212 ballots, the Green Bay star received 112 votes.
Quarterback seems to be a popular choice for the award, as Drew Brees won last year and Tom Brady won in 2007. Also topping Novak Djokovic, Cam Newton, and Tony Stewart, Rodgers currently sits at a 120.1 passer rating with 4,360 yards, 40 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. The Packers look to rebound off their first loss when they play the Chicago Bears Christmas night.
[via Washington Post]
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Ranger Ryan January 20th, 2012 at 11:15 AM
Derek Holland pitched better than Verlander in the postseason. I don't see how Verlander could be a contender for athlete of the year when his team didn't even make it to the World Series not to mention that he didn't perform well in the post season. Aaron Rodgers makes more sense because he was last years MVP and while he played well in the regular season he played very poorly in 2012 playoffs, helping the Packers lose their only 2012 playoff game.