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Packers' Aaron Rodgers on Comments from MVP Voter: ‘I Think He Is an Absolute Bum’

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't hold back on his thoughts when addressing the comments of Chicago-based sportswriter Hub Arkush, who said he would not vote for Rodgers as this year's Most Valuable Player.

Arkush, one of 50 Associated Press voters, spoke on Chicago's 670 The Score radio station on Tuesday saying that Rodgers was the "the biggest jerk in the league.” He also said that Rodgers’s behavior in violating COVID-19 protocols were reasons as to why he did not deserve to win the award this year. 

While Arkush admitted he made a mistake in his comments about Rodgers on Wednesday, the three-time MVP was not happy when he spoke to the media later in the day.

“I think he’s a bum. I think he [Arkush] is an absolute bum,” Rodgers said. “He doesn’t know me. I don’t know who he is. No one knew who he was, probably, until yesterday’s comments. And I listened to the comments. But to say he had his mind made up in the summertime, in the offseason that I had zero chance of winning MVP — in my opinion, that should exclude [him from] future votes.

In Rodgers’s displeasure of the comments, he also stated that Arkush was more mad about him not being vaccinated versus whether or not he was a “bad guy” or the league's biggest jerk.

“He doesn’t know anything about me ... I’ve never had lunch with him,“ Rodgers said. “I’ve never had an interview with him. His problem is I’m not vaccinated. If he wants to go on a crusade and collude and come up with an extra letter to put on the award just for this season and make it the ‘Most Valuable Vaccinated Player,’ then he should do that.

“I’m not going to waste any time worrying about that stuff ... It’s unfortunate that those sentiments — it’s surprising that he would even say that, to be honest. But I knew this was possible. I talked about it on McAfee weeks ago. But…crazy.”

Rodgers's production correlates to why many believe he will win this year's MVP honors. Through 15 games this season, Rodgers has thrown for 3,977 yards and 35 touchdowns with only four interceptions.

Despite his off-the-field controversy, Green Bay (13–3) has the No. 1 seed going into the NFL playoffs and the Packers have a chance to close out the season on Sunday in Detroit, with a 14th win to end the regular season schedule. 

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