Rats in the laundry? ‘Gross’
Some NFL teams don’t make grade
LOS ANGELES — Gross. That’s the word multiple Los Angeles Chargers players used to describe the hot and cold tubs at their team’s temporary practice facility in Costa Mesa.
Speaking of gross, though, those players should count their blessings they’re not in Jacksonville, where Jaguars players reported their locker room and laundry hampers were infested with rats for several weeks last season.
Or in Cincinnati. Players from the Bengals and Jaguars noted incidents of wives having to nurse babies on public bathroom floors because the teams’ stadiums don’t have family rooms.
Perhaps they all wish they were in Las Vegas, where the Raiders’ facilities are the envy of the league.
Or in Carolina, where the Panthers have a golf simulator in their newly renovated locker room.
All of that information, and much more, was included on the team report cards released by the NFL Players Association this past week as part of an effort to help free agents make their decisions in the coming weeks.
Surveys were mailed to every player on a 2022 team roster, and 1,300 players responded. The NFLPA followed up with some qualitative questions for those players, then issued its final grades and ranked the teams based on player satisfaction in various categories.
Neither Los Angeles team fared particularly well, with the Rams coming in 25th overall and the Chargers 30th. It is worth noting that many of the complaints might be resolved when the teams move into permanent training facilities. (The Jaguars, ranked 28th overall, are also working on a new, presumably rat-free, practice facility.)
Teacher’s pets
The Minnesota Vikings were the top-ranked team. They received an A+, A or A- in every category and didn’t rank below fifth in the league in any area.
“The Minnesota Vikings are a shining example of what is possible when a concerted investment is made in both staffing and facilities,” the NFLPA wrote.
The Miami Dolphins, Raiders, Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys rounded out the top five.
The Washington Commanders were the lowestranked team. Among the player complaints were lack of warm water and poor drainage in the showers, an understaffed training room, no first-class seats offered on flights and not enough personal space in the locker room.
“Besides the strength coaches who received great feedback and grades as one of the best groups in the league, the rest of the club’s operations and facilities were rated by player respondents at the bottom of every single category,” the NFLPA wrote of the Commanders.
The Arizona Cardinals, Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Jaguars were ranked 31st-28th, respectively.
Other tidbits
■ Most teams provide three meals a day for their players, but the Bengals and New Orleans Saints do not.
Players in Arizona can get a boxed dinner to go, but at their own expense. The Cardinals apparently also are the only team that charges players for meals at the team facility during offseason workouts.
■ The Bengals and Denver Broncos are the only teams that don’t provide vitamins for their players.
■ The Raiders Headquarters and Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center is so impressive that multiple players from other teams indicated to the NFLPA that they want their facilities to be “more like Vegas.”
■ The Carolina Panthers’ recently upgraded locker room, the one with a golf simulator, still earned only a B+ rating from the players.
■ The Buffalo Bills share a nutritionist with the Buffalo Sabres.
■ The floors in the Cardinals’ weight room are said to be uneven and peeling.
■ The Bengals are the only team that doesn’t have charging outlets in players’ lockers.