Ex-Patriots safety claims Pro Bowl players get 'dead drunk' before the game

Published Dec. 21, 2016 12:21 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

Whether it's in Hawaii or Orlando, the NFL's annual Pro Bowl is a big party, celebrating the very best in football for a given season. Yet according to one former Pro Bowler, most fans don't realize just how much of a party the whole thing really is for the players — even on the day of the game.

On Wednesday, former NFL safety Brandon Meriweather, who made two Pro Bowls with the New England Patriots during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, told CBS Boston's "Toucher & Rich" radio show that while some players want to win the game, many are out there after getting "dead drunk."

Via CSNNE.com:

“I went to [my first Pro Bowl in 2010] and some people were like, ‘Look, man. I’m playing dead serious. I’m finna win this,’" Meriweather said. "And a lot -- most players are like, ‘Man, I’m finna get dead drunk before the game, man.’ They ain’t playing nothing."

Asked which mentality he had, Meriweather responded, “depends on the year.”

“My first year going, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “The first couple of plays I was in, players were like, ‘Hey, chill out. What are you doing, man?’ After that, the next year I was like, ‘Man, I’m chilling. Ain’t nobody going to be playing hard. I’m chilling.’”