Just curious. I sometimes see in Pro football sports news that a player has received a “Pro Bowl Invitation” to play in the Pro Bowl. Is it compulsory to play as an NFL player, or can he say “Thanks, but no thanks”?
Sure, that happens sometimes, but usually the cover story is a lingering injury of some minor type. Most invited players are happy to accept the free Hawaii vacation, though.
It should be, or we will start getting ingrates like Manny Ramirez.
What he said. In 25+ years of following NFL football, I can’t remember a case of a player turning down a Pro Bowl invitation for non-injury reasons.
I think there are three main reasons you don’t get Manny Ramirez-type situations in football: one, a Pro Bowl invitation seems to carry more prestige than a baseball All-Star selection; two, it’s after the season is over, rather than in the middle of the season; and three, it’s in freaking Honolulu. Regardless of how many millions of dollars you make, who would turn down a free vacation in Hawaii, after the year’s work is done, where you get to hang around with other elites in your profession and play a semi-serious game of football?
Duhhhhhhhh
Manny Ramirez?
The outfielder for the Red Sox was chosen to play in the 2006 All-Star Game, but declined. He says it was to rest a sore knee. He’d missed games in May because of knee problems, but apparently many thought he was faking.
Will Carroll’s Under The Knife report from baseballprospectus.com:
It would probably be bad PR unless it was well known (and explicitly stated) that he had a ginger shoulder or something. It’s a lot easier to get out of the Pro Bowl with a minor injury than any other game, since nobody watches the damn thing anyway. I sure don’t. You can’t tell me anyone who gets invited to play in it can’t just get a free flight and hotel package for the game anyway just by dropping their name.
As for Ramirez, I wouldn’t play in the All-Star game either if I had a nagging scrape like that. Why give yourself a chance, however minute, to get injured smack in the middle of the season for a totally irrelevant cause? As a star player for a serious contender, no less.
Well, since about 5-10 players decline via the “nagging injury” route each year, I don’t think the allure of a free trip to Hawaii is as strong for players who have been there a couple of times before. Yes, for a rookie or first timer it is a big deal, but for a 12 year vet who can afford to go to Hawaii anytime he wants, and without having to deal with playing a football game, I don’t think the Pro Bowl is something they want to deal with. They want to be named on the team of course, but don’t want to actually go and play. I see the game being phased out eventually as more and more players realize its pointless. An for someone making 5-10 million a year, that 300 dollar ticket to Hawaii is not the same as it is for regular Joes.
It’s worth noting that all other pro sports in North America play their all-star game in the middle of the season. The Pro Bowl occurs six weeks after the end of the NFL’s regular season. Many players who finished the season with injuries have surgery during that intervening period. Some are simply worn out.
Also, unlinke the other all-star games, nobody cares about the Pro Bowl. It’s not relevant in the same way, for a variety of reasons. While fans across the country might be upset if Manny Ramariez begs out of the All Star Game, they won’t even notice if Tom Brady skips the Pro Bowl (as he did last year).
FWIW, eleven players were selected for the Pro Bowl last year and didn’t play: QBs Brady, Jake Plummer, Carson Palmer; TE Jeremy Shockey; OLs Olin Kreutz, Willie Roaf; DLs Jason Taylor, Rochard Seymour; LBs Brian Urlacher, Zach Thomas; DB Mike Brown.
The Pro Bowl also uses slightly different rules than regular season footballs. The defenses have to be simpler for starters. They frown upon blitzing too.
While the Pro Bowl may not get big TV ratings, it draws a big crowd in Honolulu every year.
Didn’t some guy nearly destroy his knee for good on a Pro Bowl weekend a few years ago? This wasn’t even in the Pro Bowl. It was in a pre-Pro Bowl flag football game on the beach. He was out for an entire year.
Some contracts include Bonuses for making the team. So making is one thing, playing another. Some cite nagging injuries to sneak out of it.
That was Robert Edwards.