ENGLEWOOD, Colo. —Phillip Lindsay is still headed to the 2019 Pro Bowl.
The Broncos running back made history in December when he became the first undrafted offensive rookie to earn a Pro Bowl selection, but his trip to Orlando appeared it would be canceled after he suffered a wrist injury on Christmas Eve in Oakland.
On Tuesday, though, Lindsay announced he would attend the Pro Bowl in a different capacity.
"I'm just going to be a social media correspondent, so I'll be going around doing a lot of interviews with fans, with teammates and players," Lindsay told DenverBroncos.com. "Just having a good time and making it fun for fans to get to see what it's like to be in the Pro Bowl. It's going to be — the whole entire time I'm there — about my experience at the Pro Bowl."
Lindsay said his role will include attending the week's practices and the Pro Bowl while in Orlando.
"The good thing is, I'll be wandering around talking all kinds of crap and having fun," Lindsay said. "I'm not going to be able to play in the game — which I wish I was — but being a correspondent sounds pretty good too, I'm not going to lie."
The NFL will pay for Lindsay's trip expenses, which weren't initially covered after he suffered his injury.
Lindsay expressed his gratitude to the NFL, Broncos, his agency, the fans and his teammates for helping to get him to the Pro Bowl.
"It's exciting, man," Lindsay said. "It means I had a whole entire state, a whole entire organization, a whole entire agency behind my corner. I want to thank the fans for all that they have done for me. … I want to thank my teammates, especially Von, who volunteered for me to be able to stay with him during the [week]. It just means that a lot of people care about me and that feels good.
"… [The Broncos] really felt like I needed to be there and that I deserved to be there. It makes our organization look good when we have people that are able to go. They want to make sure that people that are supposed to be there, get there."
In an earlier effort to get Lindsay to the Pro Bowl, Broncos fans raised nearly $5,000 via a GoFundMe fundraiser. Lindsay said all of that money will be donated to charity.
"I thought it was real unique and cool thing [for the fans] to do," Lindsay said. "Nobody had to [raise] some money for me to go. Just the thought of it — just for them to be able to think of something like that — it just meant a lot. It meant I meant a lot to them. They truly feel like I should be there. Which, I definitely should. I deserve it. I went out there for 15 games [and] to become the first [undrafted] offensive rookie Pro Bowler is just an honor."
Lindsay rushed for 1,037 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2018 as he set the Broncos' all-time undrafted rookie rushing mark. He is currently eligible for the NFL's rookie of the year award. To vote for Lindsay, click here.
