TAMPA, Fla. — The NFL Players Association released its latest report cards for all 32 teams to highlight how most players feel about the conditions at their respective teams.
A total of 1,300 players were surveyed about what areas of each franchise are best practiced and what can be improved.
"One of our core jobs as a union is to improve the overall working conditions for our players, which includes the daily experience of players at the team facilities away from the lights and cameras," the NFLPA wrote on its website.
The report cards are broken down into eight sections: treatment of families, food service and nutrition, weight room, strength coaches, training room, training staff, locker room and team travel.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked 26th overall compared to all other NFL teams in their report, with the lowest grade scored at an F for team traveling — citing that their traveling policies are uncomfortable.
Tampa Bay players are one of the six NFL teams that make most of their players have roommates for away games and also one of the eight teams that don't offer first-class seats to their players, the report says.
Bucs players would also like to see improvement in being offered childcare or having a designated room for players' family. Most NFL teams have a family room installed for their players and also a daycare program.
On the bright side, Tampa Bay received an A for strength coaches, saying that the coaches significantly add to their success on the field, and an A- for training staff within the organization. Players also gave a B+ for their weight room facility.
"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," NFLPA President JC Tretter said in a statement. "We know our jobs are unique; and for the first time, we are peeling back the curtain on issues that we talk about among ourselves as players but have been unable to organize and publish in a centralized way.
"Our hope is that transparency across the NFL can help lead to positive changes for players, which is what our union is all about."
The full Bucs report card is provided below:
- Treatment of Families: D+
- Food Service/Nutrition: D
- Weight Room: B+
- Strength Coaches: A
- Training Room: C+
- Training Staff: A-
- Locker Room: C-
- Team Travel: F