No family rooms and a rat infestation: NFL players list team gripes
The Minnesota Vikings treat their players best, according to a new NFL Players Association survey, while the Washington Commanders have a long way to go.
The report, released on Wednesday during the league’s annual scouting combine, rated teams in eight categories – from meals and nutrition to training and travel – based on anonymous responses from about 1,300 players.
The Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders were the top three teams while the bottom trio were the Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders. The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs were ranked as the fourth-worst team on the list.
“Player health and safety is our top priority, and we continue to invest in our facilities, including a new practice field, new turf in the practice bubble and increased meeting room space,” a spokesperson for the Commanders said. “We know there is more to do, and we regularly talk with our players about ways to improve their work environment and the experience for their families.”
Results showed three teams don’t serve players dinner at their facilities and one of those, the Cincinnati Bengals, doesn’t provide supplements or phone-charging plugs in lockers. And last season, the Jacksonville Jaguars dealt with a rat infestation.
“When asked what the number one thing they want changed at their facility, the answer was unanimous – get rid of the rats!” Jacksonville’s report card read. “Players reported that for 3-4 weeks this season, there was a rat infestation in the locker room and laundry hampers.”
NFLPA president JC Tretter insisted the survey isn’t meant to shame teams. It’s intended to highlight teams that treat players and those that need to improve by highlighting the best practices and standards. Then, perhaps, teams will attempt to raise their standards.
“I think the recommendations will be fairly clear when they read the reports,” Tretter said. “There’s not much lost in translation.
“There are some really basic things where it’s like, ‘This shouldn’t be going on.’”
Teams were graded on treatment of families, food service/nutrition, weight room, strength coaches, training room, training staff, locker room and team travel.
The full rankings can be found on NFLPA.com. Other findings include:
– Six teams don’t fly players in first class.
– Seven teams don’t arrange for players to have roommates on road trips.
– Eighteen of 32 teams offer family rooms in stadiums where families can go with their children.
– The Philadelphia Eagles offer a stadium family room just for coaches’ wives and children, not players’ wives.
“The reason we want this to be reoccurring is next year, there can be no claim of ignorance because we’ve brought the problem up and it would be even more telling if these issues continue,” Tretter said. “Then that’s a clear choice and there’s no claim of ignorance there.
“It’s going to be very clear what the next steps should be. If you’re unwilling to take those next steps, I think that tells us a lot going into the following year.”
The expectation is for players who leave teams to be more forthright in future surveys.
It was important to release the survey results before free agency begins, Tretter said, because how teams treat players could be a deciding factor when considering two offers.
“Two offers being equal, this might get a player to say, ‘My situation in Team X with the same offer is going to be better than Team Y,’” Tretter said.
Not all the findings are negative. Seven of the top eights teams rated most efficient by their players made the playoffs.
Full list of teams as rated by players
1) Minnesota Vikings2) Miami Dolphins3) Las Vegas Raiders4) Houston Texans5) Dallas Cowboys6) Green Bay Packers7) San Francisco 49ers8) New York Giants9) Buffalo Bills10) New Orleans Saints11) Seattle Seahawks12)
Carolina Panthers13) Chicago Bears14)
Philadelphia Eagles15) Detroit Lions16) Indianapolis Colts17) Baltimore Ravens18) Tennessee Titans19) New
York Jets20) Denver Broncos21) Cleveland Browns22) Pittsburgh Steelers23) Atlanta Falcons24) New England
Patriots25) Los Angeles Rams26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers27) Cincinnati Bengals28) Jacksonville Jaguars29)
Kansas City Chiefs30) Los Angeles Chargers31) Arizona Cardinals32) Washington Commanders