I think you're mistaken. That was the year that Tanner put down the single most progressive pipe run at the time, with 7 hits, spinning both ways, switch hits, etc, and got booed and snowballed on his last run. The general consensus on NS was that Tanner fully deserved that win.
In fact, I think that Simon's ungrabbed 12 at that X-Games coupled with the spectator hate shown towards Tanner's superior run spurred much of the Simon hate.
The biggest thing Simon could do for his image on NS is start posting on here. Fans appreciate when their heroes stay connected, and it certainly worked with Tanner and Jon. I imagine Simon doesn't really care what kids think about him on the internet.