Super Bowl site to move for 2024, Pro Bowl canceled
The next Super Bowl in New Orleans has been pushed back from 2024 to 2025 in order to avoid a conflict with the city’s traditional Mardi Gras celebrations, the NFL announced Wednesday.
The NFL said the change was approved by all 32 clubs during a virtual league meeting.
New Orleans was initially named the 2024 host city in 2018, but the NFL’s decision to lengthen the regular season schedule from 16 to 17 games in 2023 created a conflict in 2024 with Mardi Gras, which annually draws millions to the city for parades and balls during a several-week Carnival season that ends on “Fat Tuesday.”
Mardi Gras is tied to the Catholic calendar and falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It occurs on Feb. 13 in 2024 and March 4 in 2025. The city is most crowded during the final week of Carnival and hosting another major event such as a Super Bowl at that time would be exceedingly difficult.
The new host city for the 2024 Super Bowl remains to be named, the NFL said.
The NFL also announced Wednesday that this season’s Pro Bowl, scheduled for Jan. 31 in Las Vegas, has been canceled.
The league opted to call off the all-star game, hoping to replace it with a variety of virtual activities. The NFL needs flexibility in January in case it needs to move regular-season games to that month because of the coronavirus pandemic.
If there is a Pro Bowl in 2022, the 32 owners voted to return it to the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
A fan vote for Pro Bowl rosters still will be held, beginning Nov. 17. The rosters will be announced in December. Players, coaches and fans vote for the Pro Bowl.
■ BRONCOS: Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III was cited by Denver police for driving under the influence and speeding Tuesday night.
The Broncos sent their leading rusher home after learning of the incident.
Gordon could face a suspension from the NFL. Coach Vic Fangio said the Broncos are considering their own discipline of Gordon in addition to whatever punishment the league hands down.
“Everything’s open right now,” Fangio said. “We hope to have a decision made by tomorrow or the next day.”
According to police records, Gordon was cited for driving under the influence and traveling between 25 and 39 mph faster than the posted speed limit when he was pulled over in downtown Denver.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed. But my own two kids have disappointed me at some points in their lives and I never stopped loving them any more,” Fangio said. “And he’s one of us. We’re going to love him. But there will be some consequences to what happened last night.”
Gordon’s agent Damarius Bilbo declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press.
■ CARDINALS: The Arizona Cardinals expected the news but it still wasn’t fun to hear: All-Pro linebacker Chandler Jones is out for the season because of a biceps injury that requires surgery.
An MRI earlier this week confirmed the extent of the injury, which happened during the first half of Arizona’s 3010 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, and coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that Jones has elected to have the season-ending surgery. The recovery time is expected to be three to four months.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Jones has been one of the league’s premier pass rushers since coming to Arizona, with 61 sacks over the past 4 1/2 seasons. He’s also been durable up until Sunday and played in all 16 games from 2016-19.
It’s a huge blow for the Cardinals’ defense, which has improved after giving up the most total yards in the NFL last season. Jones had a career-high 19 sacks in 2019. He only had one sack this season while frequently drawing double-teams from opposing blockers.