In the aftermath of Thursday night’s NFL Honors awards show, the Associated Press has emphasized its commitment to transparency in the voting process. While this approach has caused some confusion over the divergent choices made by voters—like selecting Josh Allen for MVP but opting for Lamar Jackson as first-team All-Pro—it has also sparked debate regarding the voting panel itself. Some confusion surrounds these discrepancies.
On Friday, Peter Schrager from NFL Network highlighted an Associated Press article that disclosed the names of the 50 media members voting on NFL awards. This voting body is certainly diverse, comprising representatives from platforms such as ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS, NBC Sports, The Ringer, Pro Football Talk, local newspapers, and FanDuel TV, among others. Reposting Schrager’s insights, Tom Pelissero from NFL Network pointed out some of the more unusual figures participating in the voting. He challenged the reasoning behind allowing voters with clear conflicts of interest—such as Fox Sports analyst and Las Vegas Raiders co-owner Tom Brady—to have a vote, while excluding anyone from the NFL Network.
“If you’re wondering why the @AP gives votes to people paid by sportsbooks, people from debate shows, people who own parts of NFL teams, people you’ve never even heard of, but nobody from NFL Network… Yeah, me too,” Pelissero remarked.
If you’re wondering why the @AP gives votes to people paid by sportsbooks, people from debate shows, people who own parts of NFL teams, people you’ve never even heard of, but nobody from NFL Network…. Yeah, me too. https://t.co/kO3UVEeR5S
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 7, 2025
While some may dismiss Pelissero’s critique as sour grapes—indeed, the tone of his post could suggest as much—this does not undermine the validity of his argument. Virtually every major media outlet covering the league, along with some smaller ones, is represented on the voting panel, often with multiple voters. The AP’s rationale for excluding the NFL Network likely stems from a desire to avoid conflicts of interest that could arise from allowing a league-owned media source to participate in voting for league awards. However, given the presence of Brady and other entities with endorsements with the NFL, this rationale appears to fall short. Ultimately, it is indeed peculiar that the NFL Network seems to be the only prominent outlet covering the league without a say in its award voting, and it will be intriguing to see whether this situation changes now that Pelissero and others have highlighted the issue.
