Will the Pro Bowl be scrapped?
San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson of the AFC, runs past Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman of the NFC during the second quarter of the NFL Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. (Jan. 29, 2012) Credit: AP
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was so incensed after the NFC's 59-41 loss to the AFC in last season's Pro Bowl that he called the game an embarrassment because of the players' lack of effort.
Well, the NFL has taken note and may go so far as to stop playing the game, beginning this year, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who said Thursday on the "Mike & Mike In The Morning" radio show that the game might be off.
"I'll be honest with you," Rodgers said on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee about the game. "I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves ... I was just surprised that some of the guys either didn't want to play or when they were in there didn't put any effort into it."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said today that talks are ongoing with the NFL Players Association about the future of the Pro Bowl.
"We have been in discussions with the union about the future of the Pro Bowl," he said. "No determination has been made yet about this season's game."
NFL lead attorney Jeff Pash said talks with the union have included discussions on where the game should be play, or even whether it should be played. "We've had a lot of talks with the players on the Pro Bowl," he said. "Like, when you play, before or after the Super Bowl. Where? Do you play in Hawaii? We understand what contributes to the low quality of the game. It doesn’t mean very much either financially or competitively if the players are reluctant to participate in a way that gets them injured."
