In what may become a rallying cry against the Pro Bowl, Bengals star tight end Tyler Eifert is ruled out for Sunday’s tilt against the New England Patriots.
Bengals TE Tyler Eifert out again Sunday. https://t.co/n7MMe2yIpQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 14, 2016
He tried to make his way back but unfortunately suffered a back injury, which is the current reason for him missing games.
Eifert had been dealing with a foot injury that was initially received in last year’s Pro Bowl Game, and is something that has soured the Bengals star player on the game.
A growing contingency of NFL players have spoken out against the Pro Bowl in recent years, and injuries such as the one Eifert suffered haven’t helped the NFL’s case.
Tyler Eifert is the poster child for why nobody should play in the Pro Bowl.
— Jeff Patterson (@jeffpattOKC) October 14, 2016
While the NFL continues to tinker with the Pro Bowl format — moving locations, adding a fantasy draft, and moving the date of the game up to the week preceding the Super Bowl — a growing multitude of players drop out of the Pro Bowl each year, despite being honored with their inclusion to the game.
Until the NFL rewards players with a bigger bonus or all-expenses-paid vacation, more players will continue to speak out and step away from the game.
Eifert has yet to play a single game for the Bengals since injuring his ankle, and his absence has hurt Cincinnati’s offense to be sure.