“That was stupid!” Stephen A. Smith lashes out at Aaron Schatz, the only voter who didn’t give Lamar Jackson a first-place MVP vote

Lamar Jackson won the renowned NFL MVP award by 49 votes out of the possible 50 first-place votes.

“That was stupid!” Stephen A. Smith lashes out at Aaron Schatz, the only voter who didn’t give Lamar Jackson a first-place MVP vote

Stephen A. Smith, Lamar Jackson and Aaron Schatz (Via Yahoo/Los Angeles Times/Yagonet)

The NFL MVP award has been announced! And the winner by majority choice is the Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. However, something else that caught many eyes was how the star player was snatched from becoming the only two-time unanimous MVP in the history of the NFL by the means of just one vote. 

While talking on the matter, Stephen A. Smith particularly lashed out at Aaron Schatz, who voted in favor of Josh Allen instead of Jackson. The ESPN analyst held him responsible for stealing the 27-year-old the opportunity to make history. Jackson won the renowned award by 49 votes out of the possible 50 first-place votes, and the only person not in favor of the Louisville product was Schatz. 

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Smith said on First Take:

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People talk about how sportswriters shouldn’t be voting. That was a stupid homer vote by that individual, probably scared to go back in the locker room if he had voted against Josh Allen. That compromises everything. You have to be objective when you have a vote. And that writer — I don’t know who the hell it was — but that’s an embarrassment.
Stephen A. Smith on First Take

Though Smith’s point certainly applies here regarding the bias among the award voters, it definitely isn’t subject to criticism. 

The FTN Fantasy’s Schatz didn’t hide from judgment as he published his full ballot with a thorough explanation of each of his votes. He explained why he chose Allen and Dak Prescott over Jackson, by saying:

I trusted my numbers and my gut over going with the crowd just to avoid controversy.
Aaron Schatz said

Why Aaron Schatz voted for Josh Allen over Lamar Jackson for NFL MVP

Contrary to what ESPN’s Smith inferred accusing Schatz of having a vendetta against Jackson, there doesn’t really appear an ulterior motive in his selection which he explained. He’s not a Bills beat writer that he had to impress QB Allen in any manner, nor does he get to have that much interaction with him. 

Moreover, it wasn’t like Schatz dismissed Jackson’s performance entirely, as he voted for him in third place, but didn’t even include Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy in his ballot. 

Lamar Jackson holding the NFL MVP trophy
Lamar Jackson holding the NFL MVP trophy (Via SI)

With that being said, though Jackson’s 2023-24 season was an impressive one, it might not have had the unanimous MVP caliber, as some might argue. Hence, the results!

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