Kansas City Chiefs didn’t grade out well in recent NFLPA “Player Report Card”: details
The Chiefs’ on-field performance in recent seasons speaks for itself.
Three appearances out of the past four seasons in the Super Bowl, including two championships, should indicate smooth sailing.
But on-field success is just one aspect to multiple layers of a team’s operational surface.
The NFLPA on Wednesday released an “NFL Player Report Card,” as graded by 1,300 players on their respective teams around the league, highlighting eight off-field categories from the 2022 season.
And the Chiefs did not perform well in the report, ranking a cumulative 29th in the league, according to the NFLPA.
The Chiefs received grades in the following categories:
- Treatment of families: B (tied for 12th in league)
- Food service/nutrition: D+ (tied for 18th in league)
- Weight room: C+ (tied for 22nd in league)
- Strength coaches: A- (tied for 17th in league)
- Training room: D+ (tied for 24th in league)
- Training staff: D- (32nd in league)
- Locker room: D- (tied for 28th in league)
- Team travel: F (tied for 28th in league)
While it not known how many Chiefs players participated in the survey, the NFLPA summarized the report by stating the general feeling among the team’s players is the training facility, which includes the locker room, appears outdated.
The NFLPA further reports that just “56% of respondents” feel that Chiefs chairman & CEO Clark Hunt is willing to invest financially to make necessary upgrades.
The unknown number of Chiefs players responding to the NFLPA survey also felt the team’s treatment of players fell below that of other teams around the league. The report points out that the Chiefs are one of six teams still requiring some young players to have roommates on the road, while fewer than 50% of Chiefs players believe they have enough space to get comfortable on the team’s chartered flights.
When it comes to the training staff, the NFLPA said that “several players” responding to the survey did not have a positive opinion of head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder. The NFLPA said players noted Burkholder allegedly “does not treat players fairly and consistently, or with personal care.”
The Chiefs declined to comment on the NFLPA report, according to a team spokesperson.
Click here to read the NFLPA’s full report on the Chiefs.
