Patriots Earn Bad Grades in NFLPA Players' Workplace Survey
When it comes to working conditions, the New England Patriots do not quite make the grade.
According to a recently-released study by the NFLPA, the Pats are ranked No. 24 among all 32 NFL teams in terms of overall satisfaction with their workplace environment.
The survey was administered to approximately 1,300 players throughout the league, who were asked to rate various elements about their working conditions, including treatment of their families, food service/nutrition, weight room, strength coaches, training room, training staff, locker room, and team travel.
Despite being heralded as a model franchise for greater than two decades for their on-field success, New England’s players are seemingly less-than-pleased with their surroundings in and around Gillette Stadium. The player respondents’ feedback described the Pats facility as “old, dated and in need of renovation.”
The survey results also identified a need for additional staff in the weight room and training room, while the facilities and operations could use a “refresh.”
Cred: NFLPA.com
New England’s strength coaches and training staff earned the highest grade from the player respondents. Coaches Moses Cabrera and Deron Mayo earned a B+, with responses indicating that they “moderately” add to their success on the field.
The training staff led by head athletic trainer Jim Whalen earned an ‘A’ for his efforts, with players praising him for significantly adding to their individual success.”
The Patriots most surprising subpar score came from the ‘Travel’ category — in which the team ranked 25th in the NFL with a D+ grade. New England has the distinction of being one of the few professional sports franchise to use its own modified private Boeing 767 to transport players and staff. However, only 54 percent of players feel like they have enough room to spread out. They did acknowledge that the seats were “bigger than standard coach seats.” The lack of roommates on road trips was also a contributing factor to the organization’s poor grade in the category.
Unfortunately, only 64 percent of polled players believe team owner Robert Kraft is willing to spend the money necessary for upgrades, ranking him 26th in this category.
Hopefully, New England’s current renovation project will improve the their grades for 2024’s report. The organization is in the process of $225 million renovation to Gillette Stadium, which includes a new weight room for players, hospitality and function concourse, a rebuilt observation lighthouse structure and the largest high-definition video board in the country.
Construction on the project is expected to be completed in advance of the start of the 2023 regular season.
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