As the NFL's regular season winds down, the biggest storyline outside of the race for the Lombardi Trophy will be pointed at this year's individual awards. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the overwhelming favorite to be named the league's Most Valuable Player for the fourth time in his career, but that won't deter one voter from leaving him off of the top line of his ballot.
Hub Arkush, a Chicago-based sportswriter and one of 50 Associated Press voters, did not mince words when discussing why he would not be voting for Rodgers this season. Speaking on 670 The Score in Chicago, Arkush called Rodgers "the biggest jerk in the league" and said he would be voting for a different player this season.
“I don’t think you can be the biggest jerk in the league and punish your team, and your organization and your fan base the way he did and be the Most Valuable Player,” Arkush said, per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk. “Has he been the most valuable on the field? Yeah, you could make that argument, but I don’t think he is clearly that much more valuable than Jonathan Taylor or Cooper Kupp or maybe even Tom Brady. So from where I sit, the rest of it is why he’s not gonna be my choice."
Rodgers has led the Packers to the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. Through 15 games, he's completed 68.6% of his passes for 3,977 yards, 35 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Arkush said he would not reveal who he's actually voting for, but asserted that he would not be the only voter who passed on casting Rodgers as their No. 1 choice. Ultimately, he believes that the way Rodgers carried himself off the field—citing his violation of COVID-19 protocols—is what ultimately caused him to be unworthy of winning the MVP award this year.
“I just think that the way he’s carried himself is inappropriate,” Arkush said. “I think he’s a bad guy, and I don’t think a bad guy can be the most valuable guy at the same time.”
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