Three AFC teams and an NFC franchise didn’t measure up in 2023.
It can be difficult to remember at times, given their fame and fortune, that NFL players at their heart are ordinary employees with concerns you’d expect of any working American.
If there’s one day a year that bears out that fact, it’s the release of the NFL Players Association’s annual team-by-team report cards. The survey allows the players to grade their employers on everyday elements such as the treatment of their families—an area in which four teams in particular were found lacking this season.
On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders were issued the lowest possible grade—an F-minus—for their treatment of players’ families.
The NFLPA wrote that “there isn’t much being done well” by the Bengals, while the Patriots were excoriated for being one of four teams not to offer a family room or daycare. The Steelers were also eager for the team to provide a family room and daycare, while returning Commanders reported slight improvement year-over-year despite a general lack of infrastructure.
Whether these teams can raise their game will bear watching come survey time in 2025.
