Rats, No Warm Water, Food Issues: NFL Player Survey Reveals Work Conditions for Each Team

Also in Traina Thoughts: College basketball player has caffeine issue; Travis Kelce on ‘SNL’; another suggestion for MLB and more.

1. I understand that some of you reading this don’t want to hear about the problems of rich athletes. Me? I’m fascinated to hear about shoddy work conditions no matter how much the people involved are making.

And, yes, an NFL team having a crappy workout room isn’t as problematic as someone making $15 an hour who is struggling to pay for health insurance. But in the world of sports, this is an eye-opening look at what players think about their own team.

The NFLPA surveyed 1,300 players to get a grading on the following categories:

Treatment of families
Nutrition
Weight room
Strength staff
Training room
Training staff
Locker room
Travel

Here are some of the highlights:

• It was no surprise that the Commanders ranked last in the survey. Among the highlights … actually lowlights: Washington players said there is a lack of warm water in the locker room, and there is poor drainage in the showers. Commanders players also complained about not having enough personal space in the locker room and on team flights.

• The Cardinals ranked second to last. They got five F’s out of the seven categories. Arizona had the worst-rated locker room, with players citing uneven floors and floorboards that are peeling up.

Arizona also pulls some shenanigans when it comes to food. From the NFLPA report:

“If players would like dinner, it will be boxed up for them, but players reported that the team will charge you via payroll deduction. This is apparently the only Club that does this.”

“Players reported that if you work out at the facility after the season is over, the team charges you for every meal eaten at the facility” (again, apparently the only team in the league that does this).

• The Jaguars also didn’t fare well in the survey, with players revealing that for three or four weeks this season, Jacksonville’s locker room and the laundry hampers were infested with rats.

Jaguars players also complained about the way their families were treated. Jacksonville does not offer a family room. According to the survey, players’ wives had to nurse their babies on the floor of a public restroom.

I bet you didn’t think the rat infestation could be topped when it came to grossness, but there you go.

Two other notable findings from the survey:

• The Bengals are the only team that does not have outlets in their lockers for players to charge devices. (This might be the most egregious transgression of all!)

• The Chargers players say their hot and cold tubs are poorly maintained and “gross” and that the hot tub is often broken, and the cold tub is often not cold.

You can see the full results for every team here.

2. Illinois forward Matthew Mayer recently missed some time with the team because he got caffeine poisoning while playing video games Sunday. Mayer said he drank six Monster energy drinks. As if this wasn’t absurd enough, Mayer also dropped this quote while explaining what happened: “I like a caffeine-induced euphoria to play video games.”

#Illini Matthew Mayer was out sick since the Ohio State with "caffeine poisoning" after drinking 6 energy drinks. pic.twitter.com/VNU8n5QXuQ

— Brice Bement (@BriceBement) March 1, 2023

3. Here’s a promo for this week’s Saturday Night Live with Travis Kelce as host.

Travis Kelce and the Raiders of Studio 8H pic.twitter.com/EV41Ga6jnz

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) March 1, 2023

4. The pitch clock is working already.

Monday's Mets-Cardinals game was ESPN's most-watched spring training broadcast in seven years, the network says, averaging 423,000 viewers and peaking at 475,000.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 1, 2023

5. We’ve already praised Major League Baseball for finally instituting the pitch clock, but here’s something else we’d like to see MLB do. After seeing this tweet, it struck me that giving out the lineup card to a fan in the stands would be a very cool tradition.

There was a Mets fan behind their dugout today in Jupiter who was relentlessly cheering them on all afternoon, often the only voice emerging from the crowd. You could hear him from anywhere in the stands.

Buck Showalter gave him a lineup card.

"He deserved it," he said.

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) March 1, 2023

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with CBS Sports and Turner Sports play-by-play man Ian Eagle.

Eagle talks about succeeding Jim Nantz next year to call the NCAA tournament Final Four and why working with Bill Raftery is so special. Eagle also shares his thoughts on the Greg Olsen–Tom Brady situation and what it means for fellow play-by-player Kevin Burkhardt. Eagle, who calls Nets games locally, also discusses the team’s implosion this season and why it was difficult for him to call Kyrie Irving’s games after Irving promoted an antisemitic film.

Other topics discussed with Eagle include his favorite sports call of all time, where he was when the NBA shut down because of COVID-19, the pronunciation of his name, Aaron Rodgers’s darkness retreat and much more.

Following Eagle, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV joins Jimmy for their weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, Jimmy and Sal discuss Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime performance, the NBA’s All-Star weekend, Major League Baseball’s new rules changes, the passing of Tim McCarver and more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 61st birthday to Jon Bon Jovi. If you have never seen this video of poor Jon having to suffer through a wedding singer butchering his classic song and having to save the day, check it out.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.