“This is an innovative way to further engage our fans who have an insatiable appetite for football,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. “NFL players have been very active on social media and enjoying talking to fans. The nature of the Pro Bowl enables us to have players tweet during the game.”

The existing policy bans players from tweeting 90 minutes before games all the way until they fulfill their postgame media obligations.

The Pro Bowl experiment is not being considered for the regular season or playoffs, the NFL said.