The NFL Players' Association surveyed its players on working conditions around the league and players on the New England Patriots were brutally honest about their situation.
The Patriots ranked 24th overall in the league in working conditions, the NFLPA shared Wednesday.
“The player respondents’ feedback from our survey described the club’s facility as old, dated and in need of renovation,” the NFLPA said in its specific evaluation of the Patriots. “The staffing of the current facilities was also flagged as an issue in need of improvement, specifically in the weight room and training room. The player respondents’ indicated that facilities and operations at the Patriots can use a refresh.”
The study found that only 64 percent of players believe Patriots owner Robert Kraft is willing to spend the money needed in order to make upgrades, which is the 26th among all owners.
Patriots rank 24th. Not great outside of nutrition, strength staff and training staff. https://t.co/0rsv1rBLcn pic.twitter.com/elc8WN7y75
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) March 1, 2023
To measure where each team ranks in overall working conditions, players were anonymously asked to give a letter grade (similar to a report card) in several different aspects: treatment of families, food service/nutrition, weight room, strength coaches, training room, training staff, locker room, and team travel.
The Patriots didn't receive an “F” grade in any of those areas, however they received a “D” grade for their weight room, which was second-to-last in the league, and a “D+” grade for team travel, which was tied for 25th.
“The players feel that the facilities and equipment have been the same for a very long time, and they feel like it is understaffed,” the study said, adding that 85 percent of players believe they have enough strength coaches, which was the third-worst mark in the league.
As for team travel, the study noted that 54 percent of all players feel like they have enough room to spread out on flights but added that the seats are all bigger than standard coach seats. They also don't have roommates when they stay at hotels for road games.
The Patriots also ranked pretty lowly among their peers for treatment of families, which earned a “C-” grade and were tied for 22nd in the league; their strength coaches, which earned a “B+” grade but were tied for 28th in the league; their training room, which earned a “C-” grade and was tied for 22nd in the league; and their locker room, which earned a “C+” grade and was tied for 18th in the league.
The study found that the Patriots are one of 11 teams to not offer daycare at their stadium and are one of 14 rooms to not offer a family room at the stadium. They ranked 21st in their support of players' families and 17th in their post-game gathering area.
As for why the Patriots ranked relatively low for their strength coaches, most teams had positive reviews of their strength coaches.
“The players believe that the strength coaches moderately add to their success,” the study wrote of the Patriots' strength coaches.
For the training room, the overall belief among players is that the training room lacks equipment.
And for the locker room, the top complaint was that “players want a little more room to spread out without feeling on top of one another.”
The two areas the Patriots did relatively well in were in food service/nutrition, earning a “B” grade that ranked them 12th overall, and their training staff, earning an “A” grade that was tied for the ninth-best in the league.
The Patriots ranked 13th in food quality as they provide all meals and the players found that the trainers “significantly add to their individual success,” the study found.
The Patriots will be getting a new weight room to go along with the Gillette Stadium renovations, which is expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2023 season.
Follow Us
Subscribe