Despite much grumbling, the NFL is sticking with its revamped Pro Bowl schedule for at least another year.
The league announced that next season’s all-star game will be held the week before the Super Bowl, continuing a controversial experiment the NFL began this year.
The only change is that the Pro Bowl is moving back to its longtime home of Aloha Stadium in Honolulu after being played most recently in Miami — the site of last season’s Super Bowl.
The Pro Bowl for the 2010 season will be held Sunday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. on FOX.
The league said in a statement that the game will remain the week before the Super Bowl because this past season’s ESPN-televised game drew its largest TV audience since 2000. The Pro Bowl also drew its largest in-stadium crowd (70,697) in 50 years.
The NFL Players Association was told of the plan during a meeting with the league last week in Indianapolis but had no say-so.
A union spokesman expressed disappointment that the NFLPA’s board was not allowed to vote on the matter, citing widespread player disgruntlement with the new timing of the game.