Once again, Tom Brady will be replaced by Matt Cassel. This time, however, it will be on the Pro Bowl roster, as according to WCVB-TV (via WEEI) Brady has decided against participating in the NFL’s annual all-star event.
There had been some small chatter over Brady not having declined the invitation to the game after the news broke that the Patriots quarterback had been playing much of the season in significant pain stemming from a stress fracture in his foot—an injury dating back all the way to 2008.
But Brady has decided, as so many other NFL stars do, to forgo the Pro Bowl, and so the minor controversy ends.
Seven other Patriots still have to decide whether or not to participate come January 30. If they do choose to go, they’ll find some familiar figures on the sidelines, as Bill Belichick is set to don the hoodie and headset in Hawaii, even if it’s not in the game he had hoped for.