It’s hard to find an NFL player who doesn’t say the Pro Bowl should remain in Hawaii.

Then again, it’s also not easy to find an NFL player in Hawaii this week who was a first choice for Sunday’s game at Aloha Stadium. The NFL spin, as delivered by vice president Merton Hanks, is that so much sick-call has led to 36 first-time players at last count … and first-time Pro Bowlers play hard.

At least The Greatest Of All Time is here. And when The G.O.A.T. casts a vote it carries more weight than your garden variety current superstar or super sub … even though his 20-season Hall of Fame career ended 12 years ago.

Forget just wide receiver. Jerry Rice might be the best football player ever, at any position. And his voice gets heard. Hey, Hanks has to speak NFL exec gobbledygook at times, but he’s still in awe of his old teammate who helped him get those Super Bowl rings with the 49ers.

Rice doesn’t want the league moving its all-star game — or some-star game — around the country and maybe now, around the planet. The latest speculation is it could land in Brazil or Australia next year.

“I can’t see the Pro Bowl anywhere else. When I think of the Pro Bowl, I think of Hawaii,” said the captain of Team Rice, who will draft a team today against Michael Irvin, the Cowboys Hall of Fame wideout.

“I love Hawaii, I love the fans,” Rice added emphatically. And for many locals, it’s reciprocal; this is 49ers country, and when Rice showed up in the islands in early February it was often a couple of days after he and his mates delivered a Super Bowl win.

He was named to 13 Pro Bowls. At the time of his retirement, he held the all-star game’s records for career receptions and yards receiving and was tied for first with 10 games played.

Now he wants to break the tie he shares with Irvin for most wins as alumni captain. Team Irvin beat Team (Cris) Carter 32-28 last year in Glendale, Ariz. In 2014, the first year of the “unconferenced” format, Rice’s team beat the one drafted by Deion Sanders 22-21 at Aloha Stadium. Maybe Prime Time should have made good on his threat to actually play in the game.

“Michael Irvin is going down the same way Deion Sanders went down,” said Rice, prior to a coin toss to determine who would pick first.

Perhaps in a nod to the Packers-Cardinals overtime playoff game two weeks ago, the first toss was ruled no good.

Rice won the second one and got the player-captains he wanted in Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Irvin was fine with Falcons running back Devonta Freeman and Bengals defensive lineman Geno Atkins. “Like me, they’re from Florida,” he said. “Everybody out there knows what Florida boys do.”

If we remember what Ray Lewis said a few years ago when the Pro Bowl was moved to his home state, we know what Florida boys don’t do … or at least don’t want to do. That would be play in an all-star game there instead of in Hawaii.

Cowboys Hall of Fame safety Darren Woodson is assisting Irvin. He’s from Phoenix, and said he was less than stoked about his hometown hosting the Pro Bowl last year.

“I think Jerry’s so right,” he said. “This is where we belong.”

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.