Fansided

Andrew Luck almost skipped Pro Bowl after AFC championship loss

By Trisity Miller

January 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team Carter quarterback Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts (12) passes the football during the 2015 Pro Bowl practice at Luke Air Force Base. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team Carter quarterback Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts (12) passes the football during the 2015 Pro Bowl practice at Luke Air Force Base. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Superstar QB Andrew Luck says he almost skipped out on the Pro Bowl.

After losing in the AFC Championship game to the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts star quarterback Andrew Luck says he contemplated pulling out of the Pro Bowl.

From the Indianapolis Star:

"“It was hard,” Luck admits. “But once you get out here and you get around the guys and some of your teammates, it feels better. But the morning after the (loss), you get a phone call and they need your decision and they want to make sure you’re not hurt, can you play and all that. I’m sitting there like … (sighs).”I mean, it is a privilege, but I am hurting in a sense. But I realize it’s an honor to be voted in and the fans really enjoy it. So, I did it."

If Luck had followed through with his immediate thought to skip the Pro Bowl, I’m sure no one would have attacked him for the decision.

Over the years, the Pro Bowl has lost 98 percent of its luster. Teams play very little defense and a lot of the players voted in by fans don’t participate due to injury reasons or just not wanting to participate in the event, as Luck once felt.

More from Indianapolis Colts

The fact that Luck even thought about skipping out on the Pro Bowl says everything we need to know about the Pro Bowl. The intent of the event is well — like the NBA, MLB and other major sports, at some point in the season, the league pits its best players against each other to entertain the fans and celebrate an excellent season. Unfortunately, the Pro Bowl has lost all of it’s flair, unlike the NBA, NHL, and MLB All-Star games.

In the last few years, the NFL has tinkered with the event, eliminating conferences (two captains pick teams) and putting the event in the down-time slot between the NFC/AFC championship games and the Super Bowl. But this hasn’t helped much as the event say a drop in ratings from 2013 to 2014 (the NFL is still pulling tons of ratings because it’s the most popular sport in the United States).  Some have suggested adding a skills challenge to spice things up — anything new could make the Pro Bowl a better viewing for fans and hopefully the NFL figures it out so it’s biggest stars don’t pull out of the event.

Fortunately for the fans, Luck didn’t fall through with his initial plans and will be participating in the Pro Bowl which kicks off at 8 P.M. on ESPN tomorrow.

More from FanSided

Home/Indianapolis Colts