Further proving that players don’t take the Pro Bowl seriously, Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers and Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie skipped out on Friday’s practice and are subject to fines.
A league source told the Associated Press that the absences were unexcused. Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com attempted to contact McKinnie’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, but got no response. McKinnie didn’t even show up for the NFC team photo.
As Prisco also notes, McKinnie and Peppers have reputations for “playing when they want to play,” so it’s not particularly surprising that they’re taking the event lightly. It remains to be seen if they’ll be active for the game on Sunday.