How do teams really treat their players? The best nuggets from the NFL Players Association’s anonymous survey.
In 15 years as an NFL reporter, I heard rumblings that teams such as the Bengals and Cardinals didn’t treat their players well, but it was always theoretical. Now comes tangible evidence and a few eye-popping anecdotes.
We already wrote this past week about how the Patriots finished 24th in the study, which surely had to rankle the Krafts. Here are the top takeaways from the other 31 teams:
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▪ The Bengals’ thrifty reputation under owner
Mike Brown apparently is well earned. The Bengals are one of three teams (along with the Buccaneers and Saints) that don’t provide players with three meals a day, skimping out on dinner. The Bengals also encourage players to work out at the facility on Tuesday offdays, but don’t open their cafeteria, “so players can’t even grab a banana when working out.”
The Bengals are one of two teams that don’t provide vitamins (Broncos), and the only team that doesn’t provide supplements. Players say the toilets and showers don’t consistently work. The Bengals are the only team that doesn’t provide electrical outlets in individual lockers.
Most alarmingly, some players reported that their wives had to sit on the floor of a public restroom to nurse their babies during games. The Jaguars were another team where players reported the same problem, which is unacceptable. Note to all NFL teams: Look up the term “lactation pod” and install several in your stadiums, pronto.
▪ The Chiefs may be Super Bowl champions, but the players aren’t happy with the facilities or training staff, ranking the team 29th overall. Some of the complaints are small — players want chairbacks at their lockers instead of stools and more space on flights, and the Chiefs are one of six teams that make young players have roommates on the road.
But the complaints about the training staff were piercing. Several players said head trainer
Rick Burkholder, who has been with
Andy Reid since they joined the Eagles together in 1999, doesn’t treat players “fairly or consistently, or with personal care.” The Chiefs also reported that they feel “discouraged from reporting their injuries” and “fear retribution for speaking up.” Only three teams gave their training staffs a grade lower than B, and the Chiefs were the lowest with a D-minus. I’d be surprised if the Chiefs moved on from Burkholder, so there could be some awkward moments ahead between trainer and players.
▪ Two former Patriots coaches found themselves taking hits. The Raiders mostly aced their report card thanks to a new training facility that is the envy of most teams. But players knocked coach
Josh McDaniels for being less likely to listen to players and keeping them for longer hours than other head coaches around the league. The NFLPA claims that seven of the top eight teams who were “most efficient with the players’ time” made the playoffs in 2022.
Raiders players complained that coach Josh McDaniels' isn't efficient enough with their time.Abbie Parr/Associated Press
Current Patriots assistant coach
Joe Judge also isn’t missed in New York. Giants players responded that
Brian Daboll is respectful of their time and willing to listen to collaborate, “a stark change from former HC Joe Judge’s tenure and an example of how quickly things can improve if the club prioritizes the well-being of players.”
▪ The 24th-ranked Patriots finished last in the AFC East. The Dolphins came in No. 2 and received nearly straight A’s for their new training facility and coaching staff, with the only knock being the lack of a family room at Hard Rock Stadium. The Bills finished No. 9, with the only complaint that the team’s nutritionist splits time with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, who are also owned by the Pegula family. And the Jets ranked 19th, with nothing too great or too bad about their facility and staff.
▪ The Commanders finished No. 32 and their facilities sound like right out of the movie “Major League.” The players feel the training room is understaffed; the facility is cramped; they don’t have enough bathrooms; the warm water and shower drainage don’t work; they are one of six teams that require some teammates to have roommates on the road, and one of seven teams not to offer first-class seats to players. There also was one line without any context: “Many players reported that they do not want to do their rehab there.”
▪ Only two teams gave their strength staffs a grade less than B. The Falcons’ players gave their staff a D-minus because they don’t feel they get a personalized plan. The Ravens gave their staff an F, and the Ravens recently fired trainer
Steve Saunders, who had been with the team for seven years. The feedback on Saunders was “markedly negative,” and players including
Matthew Judon and
Derek Wolfe have publicly criticized Saunders in the past. Saunders also earned a one-month suspension in 2020 for not properly wearing his mask or tracking device or reporting his own COVID symptoms when treating players.
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.. Guess the survey/rankings didn't factor in off-site team massage table accessibility.
