Cowboys Country

Cowboys' Micah Parsons Calls Out NFL Bias in MVP Award Voting

Micah Parsons calls out the elephant in the room regarding the NFL's MVP Award.

Harrison Reno

The NFL Most Valuable Player Award has over the years become a "quarterback's award." And Dallas Cowboys "Lion-backer'' Micah Parsons wants to know why.

Parsons this week quote-tweeted a post from the NFL in which they displayed a graphic of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Tua Tagovailoa, all QBs, of course, and asked fans who they'd pick for MVP. 

Parsons responded with a simple question.

 "Why,'' he asked, is "this a QB-based award?"

It is a valid question being posed by one of the NFL's brightest young defensive stars. 

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was the last non-quarterback to win the award, back in 2012 - and it took historic numbers, 348 carries for 2,097 yards, to get it done.

But ever since Peterson's career year, the Associated Press has selected a quarterback nine straight times, with Aaron Rodgers winning MVP three times in that span. 

The last defensive player to win MVP was in 1986, when the Giants' Lawrence Taylor won it. Taylor is one of two defensive players ever to win MVP, the only other being Minnesota's Alan Page in 1971. 

As with Peterson, Taylor needed a career year to get honor, as he recording 20.5 sacks, 105 total tackles, and two forced fumbles. 

Parsons, who will be in the Thanksgiving spotlight as the 7-3 Cowboys host the 7-3 Giants, leads the Cowboys in sacks at 10, ranking him third league-wide. As recent history has shown (even as the AP is apparently taking a hard look at the voting process), Parsons - who finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting as a rookie and is a leading candidate for the same trophy this season, may never win MVP, despite being one of the best players on the field each Sunday.

But he could rack up a few Defensive Player of the Year awards throughout his career, if it's any consolation. 

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Harrison Reno
HARRISON RENO

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