Voter not picking Aaron Rodgers as MVP because he's the 'biggest jerk in the league?'

Green Bay Packers quarterback and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers spent a portion of the summer away from the organization in an alleged attempt to force a trade that never came, and he missed what became a Week 9 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 7 after he tested positive for COVID-19 as an unvaccinated player. 

Despite such drama and potential distractions, the Packers clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs before Week 18. Rodgers, meanwhile, leads the NFL among eligible signal-callers with a 111.1 passer rating and 67.8 total QBR, and he's tied for third with 35 touchdown passes, per ESPN stats. The numbers show why Rodgers is a favorite to retain his MVP crown, but Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes that Hub Arkush told Chicago sports radio station 670 The Score on Tuesday he's not voting for the future Hall of Famer. 

"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 explained. "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. Do I think he’s gonna win it? Probably. A lot of voters don’t approach it the way I do, but others do, who I’ve spoken to. But one of the ways we get to keep being voters is we’re not allowed to say who we are voting for until after the award has been announced. I’m probably pushing the envelope by saying who I’m not voting for. But we’re not really supposed to reveal our votes."

Arkush added he "can guarantee" he's not the only voter who will be choosing someone other than Rodgers as NFL MVP.

"I just think that the way he’s carried himself is inappropriate," Arkush said of Rodgers. "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." 

Understandably, Arkush's take proved to be quite controversial among fans and others in the sports industry: