Browns legend tight end Shannon Sharpe has never been shy about saying exactly what he thinks, and his latest criticism of the NFL’s Pro Bowl comes at a significant moment for the league. On Nightcap, Sharpe and co-host Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson were discussing the struggles surrounding professional sports All-Star events when the conversation turned to the NFL.

“You ought to be embarrassed because something that was been going on before your parents were born. Y’all ruined it. You ended it. Y’all did. Y’all did that,” Sharpe said on the podcast. “So be proud of yourself because that’s what you done.”

Sharpe’s comments came shortly after the NFL made a major decision about the event. On August 26, the league announced that it would eliminate the Pro Bowl game beginning with the 2026 season, although it will continue selecting and honoring 88 Pro Bowl players. The decision effectively ends a 75-year tradition.

“All-star games, I think, for all leagues have been fraught for a long time,” NFL exec Peter O’Reilly told The Athletic. “And they haven’t necessarily represented the very best premium of that sport for those players. … But ultimately, the Pro Bowl, at its core, is about honoring the best of the best in that season, on the field, in real games. And the shift here is about shifting the focus from the game — which is ultimately where people’s attention goes, especially the replacement players tied to it — to the honor.”

Instead of playing a game, the selected players will be recognized during a celebration at the site of the following Super Bowl, beginning with Los Angeles.

The NFL moved on from the old Pro Bowl format in 2023. Instead, it rolled out the Pro Bowl Games, which featured skills competitions and flag football between the AFC and NFC.

That also removed the heavy contact from the event. The idea was to give players a safer way to compete while still keeping the weekend interesting for fans. The 2023 event featured three 7-on-7 flag football games along with competitions such as dodgeball, precision passing and best catch. The league said the changes were made in line with feedback from players, teams and fans.

The format continued into 2025 and 2026. The 2025 event featured 88 players competing in skills competitions and an AFC-NFC flag football matchup, while the 2026 Pro Bowl Games moved to the San Francisco Bay Area during Super Bowl week.

In the past, the NFL also moved the Pro Bowl away from Hawai’i, its home for 30 years, to other cities.

Sharpe’s frustration is also rooted in his own experience. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was an eight-time Pro Bowler during his playing career, including selections with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. He experienced the event when it was still a traditional showcase featuring many of the league’s biggest stars.

With time, the value of the Pro Bowl also decreased. With new rules introduced, players began to opt out, forcing conferences to name less-deserving replacements. Shedeur Sanders and Joe Flacco made the Pro Bowl as alternates in the last edition of the game. Neither put forward a performance worthy of the honor; Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals mid-season last year, after going 1-3 as a starter for the Cleveland Browns.

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli also joked that Sanders making the Pro Bowl was probably the “last straw” for the league, forcing them to pull the game.

The NFL will not abandon the Pro Bowl honor altogether. Players will still be selected through the existing voting process involving fans, players and coaches.

And, no replacements will be named from now onward.

For Sharpe, though, the damage has already been done. He argues that the league repeatedly tried to find a workable solution, while players’ lack of commitment helped make the Pro Bowl something fans no longer viewed as essential.