Amid Super Bowl success, Kansas City Chiefs rank poorly in NFL player report cards
By George Ramsay and Thomas Schlachter, CNN
(CNN) — The Kansas City Chiefs have become accustomed to winning on the field, but the team’s latest NFL report card tells a different story when it comes to workplace conditions.
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) released its second annual club report cards on Wednesday, giving 1,706 active players the opportunity to reflect on the working environment within their teams, which includes rating – among other things – training facilities, food, staff and travel.
This year, players could even rank their head coach.
For the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the report card makes for grim reading. The team ranked 31st overall, ahead of only the Washington Commanders, and scored a D+ or lower in seven categories.
In the nutritionist/dietician, locker room, training staff and ownership categories, the Chiefs were graded an F or lower. According to the NFLPA, players criticized owner Clark Hunt for not investing in team facilities, particularly after promising that renovations would take place after winning the Super Bowl in 2022.
In last year’s report cards, the Chiefs didn’t fare much better, coming in at 29th.
“From the results, it is clear that there has not been a significant reinvestment back into the facilities even after consistent success,” the report card said this time around.
“That has led to a high level of frustration among player respondents and reflects in club owner Clark Hunt’s ranking as the least willing to invest in team facilities among all NFL owners/ownership group in the opinions of the respondents.”
The good news for the Chiefs? Head coach Andy Reid had the highest rating in the league, earning an A+ after leading the team to three Super Bowl titles in five years.
CNN Sport has contacted the Chiefs for comment.
The NFLPA said that the report cards, which were introduced last year, were intended to raise working conditions across the league and assist players in making “important career decisions” when choosing their next team.
The Miami Dolphins boasted the best grades, achieving at least an A- in all 11 categories and ranking first in food/cafeteria, training room, training staff, weight room, team travel and ownership.
“The state-of-the-art facilities continue to impress, but more importantly, are complemented by the number of quality trainers, strength coaches and other support staff who help make the workplace experience one of the best across the league,” said the Dolphins’ report card.
Second overall were the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Kevin O’Connell and owner/chairman Zygi Wilf graded an A+, while the Green Bay Packers were third.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was one of three HCs given an A+, while former Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels had the lowest score: a D.
Despite getting new ownership last year, the Commanders once again had the worst report card in the league, scoring F- in three categories – treatment of families, locker room and training room.
“The survey data reveals a long list of items with the workplace that continue to be problems, and players expressed that they have grown tired of the deficiencies,” the report card said.
“To start, the locker room is small and in desperate need of renovation, with players reporting multiple sewage leaks. The training room is significantly understaffed, with only 52% of players saying they receive an adequate amount of one-on-one treatment time for injury recovery and prevention.”
The Commanders declined to comment when contacted by CNN.
Last year’s report cards famously revealed that the Jacksonville Jaguars had a temporary rat infestation in the locker room, though the team scored highly this year having opened a shiny new training facility in June.
The Jaguars were ranked fifth in the league and players scored their locker room, training room and weight room an A- or higher.
Other interesting details revealed by the report cards were that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ younger players have to share rooms while traveling, unless they pay the team $1,750 for their own room each season, while the Cincinnati Bengals’ locker room has a plumbing problem.
“Approximately 50% of the showers don’t work; they either don’t provide warm water or there isn’t enough water pressure,” said the Bengals’ report card. “They face consistent plumbing issues that limit the amount of functioning toilets the players can use.”
CNN has contacted the Bengals for comment.
According to the NFLPA, responses to the survey were anonymous and conducted between August 26 and November 16 last year. There were 406 more responses this season compared to last, which equated to a 77% response rate across the league.
CNN has contacted the NFL for comment, though in a statement cited by The Athletic, among others, the league said that it “encourage[s] and solicit[s] player feedback to help improve all facets of their NFL experience. We look forward to getting the opportunity to review the union’s questionnaire, and the data supporting it.”
The-CNN-Wire
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