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NFL ending Pro Bowl but keeping all-star designation for players

NFC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions stretches the ball out s he scores against the AFC during the first half of the flag football competition at the NFL's Pro Bowl Games on Feb. 3 in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
NFC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions stretches the ball out s he scores against the AFC during the first half of the flag football competition at the NFL's Pro Bowl Games on Feb. 3 in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) NFC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions stretches the ball out s he scores against the AFC during the first half of the flag football competition at the NFL's Pro Bowl Games on Feb. 3 in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By The Associated Press 2 min read

ATLANTA — The Pro Bowl is no more, the NFL announced Wednesday, ending an exhibition of the league’s top players that was held in some form almost every year since 1951.

The game wasn’t played in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was the only pause in the postseason event.

“It’s OK to be the first league to walk away from a competitive all-star game,” NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly said at an NFL team owners’ meeting in Atlanta.

The league said 88 players will still be named as Pro Bowl selections and honored in Los Angeles after this season. Several flag football events also will take place at that time, but unlike in recent seasons, none of them will be part of the Pro Bowl Games.

“The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL,” O’Reilly said in a release announcing the change. “A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best. We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans.”