The Chiefs received a report card on Wednesday from the NFL Players Association, and it’s safe to say this grade won’t go on the refrigerator in the team facility.
The club received the fourth-worst overall grade from the NFLPA survey that ranked teams on categories such as facilities, training and strength staff, travel, food and nutrition, and treatment of families.
Kansas City earned its best grade (A-minus) for its strength coaches, rating No. 17 overall. The team’s highest ranking was for its treatment of families (tied for No. 12), earning a B grade.
Players dished out one F grade to the Chiefs for travel, a ranking shared with four other clubs. But the club’s lowest ranking was for training staff, ranking dead last at No. 32 with a grade of D-minus.
The NFLPA says 1,300 players responded to the confidential survey about their 2022 employer. While that works out to an average of 41 players per team, an NFLPA spokesperson could not provide the number of responses by individual club. A Chiefs spokesperson declined to comment on the report card.
The association says it conducted the survey as part of its mission to improve overall working conditions for players. The goals of the survey are to highlight positive clubs, identify where areas of improvement are needed and spotlight best practices and standards, according to president J.C. Tretter.
For many years, players have brought up the idea of creating a “Free Agency Guide,” which would contain information that can help illuminate what that daily experience is like for players and their families from team to team,” Tretter wrote in a column accompanying the report card. “If knowledge is really power, then providing players with information about each club would not only help them make important career decisions, but it would also help raise the standards across each club.”
There also wasn’t a strong correlation between high grades in the survey and success on the field. Among the last eight Super Bowl champions, all but one ranked No. 20 overall or worse. Only the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 14 overall) fared better.
The overview for the Chiefs noted that players responding to the survey feel the team’s facility is outdated. While the team’s locker rooms at Arrowhead Stadium were renovated last year, the club’s training complex first opened in 1991 but was remodeled and expanded in 2010.
The survey also cited the Chiefs as one of six teams that still have some players share hotel rooms on road trips. Fewer than 50% of players responding said they felt comfortable on charter flights. Team flights usually have both first-class and coach accommodations.
The harshest criticism was reserved for Rick Burkholder, the team’s vice president of sports medicine and performance. Players in the survey requested “a more welcoming environment” in the training room. The report also states that several players criticized Burkerholder directly, with the claim that “he does not treat players fairly and consistently, or with personal care.”
In Tretter’s column, he hopes the club report cards are not a one-year project.
“Our intent is to continue to field player opinions and feedback every year,” he wrote. “As we have carefully noted, these Club Report Cards are a snapshot of opinions during one period in time, and those opinions can change if the clubs make decisions that impact the player experience in the workplace.
Breaking down the categories
Treatment of families: B (tied for No. 12)
Chiefs are recognized for offering a family room but are identified as one of 11 NFL clubs that do not offer daycare.
Food service/Nutrition: D+ (tied for No. 18)
While the club offers players three meals a day, 50% of players responded that there isn’t enough room in the cafeteria, forcing some players to eat at their lockers.
Weight room: C-plus (Tied for No. 22)
The report alleges the weight room is slightly below league average, and that players would like to see more and newer equipment.
Strength coaches: A-minus (tied for No. 17)
Only five NFL teams gave their strength staff lower than an A-minus. A total of 97% of Chiefs players say they have enough strength coaches and 94% believe they receive an individual plan.
Training room: D-plus (tied for No. 24)
While 77% of Kansas City players say the team has enough athletic trainers and 61% feel they have enough physical therapists, those percentages each ranked as the fourth-worst in the league.
Training staff: D-minus (No. 32)
The report card’s sharpest criticism targeted Burkholder, even noting that the rest of the training staff is “generally well liked” by players. Responses to the survey indicated that at least some players felt discouraged from reporting injuries, did not feel they received the level of personal care they should, and that they feared retribution for speaking up for better care.
Locker room: D-minus (tied for No. 28)
A total of 73% of Chiefs players cited personal space as an issue, reporting the lockers are old and in need of renovation. Players also noted wanting a chair at their locker instead of a stool so they can lean back. It’s not uncommon to see a player in the locker room laying on the floor stretching their back.
Team travel: F (tied for No. 28)
Only 59% of players said they have enough room to spread out on charter flights, identifying a shortage of first-class seats. The Chiefs are one of six NFL teams that have younger players sharing hotel rooms on the road.
