The NFLPA released its second annual player team report card.
It noted that the rankings did not translate to success on the field. That’s evidenced by the Chiefs’ ranking.
“Does it translate onto on-field performance?” NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell said. “I know what you’re saying now, but in the future you would think if your working conditions are as positive as they can be, it’s going to translate into a more productive, happier work, and that should translate into more W’s.”
The Chiefs have won back-to-back Super Bowls and three in the past five years. Yet, they ranked 31st in the survey, ahead of only the Commanders.
Quality of care and out-of-date facilities were the two main issues cited by Chiefs players, with owner Clark Hunt ranked last among the 32 owners.
“Kansas City scored pretty poorly,” NFLPA president JC Tretter said. “A lot of that was, I would say, frustration from the guys on promises that haven’t been kept as they’ve put up a bunch of success on the field. Not this past year, but the year before, the team promised them a brand-new locker room. . . . They go on to win the Super Bowl. They come back for the offseason, and it’s the same locker room but with chairs [instead of stools].
"[The players] said, ‘What’s the deal?’ And they said, ‘Well, you guys went so far in the playoffs, we didn’t have time to do.’ Guys are like, ‘We just won three Super Bowls in five years and no money is being poured back into us. All you got us was a chair and the things you promised us, you’re not doing.’ So, I think you see that frustration in the survey responses, where they feel like they were promised change and then not actually seeing that change after Super Bowl after Super Bowl.”
Andy Reid was the highest-rated coach among the 32, but that didn’t help the team’s overall ranking.
The survey stated: “The players’ issue with quality of care is mostly centered around the training room. The players feel that the training room is significantly understaffed, with only 43 percent of the team responding that they get an adequate amount of one-on-one treatment time. Players feel that the staff is unwilling to provide the necessary treatment to support recovery and performance; for example, players are not allowed to get preventative treatment (soft tissue work, other care) for soreness and day-to-day issues, a regular offering across the NFL.
“From the results, it is clear that there has not been a significant reinvestment back into the facilities even after consistent success. 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.”
In a preplanned news conference Wednesday, the Chiefs shared their vision for Arrowhead Stadium renovations. The Chiefs would pay for $300 million in upgrades to the stadium with the other $500 million paid for by Jackson County taxpayers, who will decide in an April 2 ballot measure about a 40-year 3/8th cent sales tax hike.
Will the Chiefs’ results deter other teams from making improvements based on survey rankings?
“Well, I think there’s only one Patrick Mahomes out there,” Tretter said.
Howell said he’s hopeful teams will “do the right thing,” because it is the right thing to do.
