Press, NFL Players Are Battling Over Locker Room Access

Writers who cover professional football are pushing back against an attempt by the NFL Players Association to cut off mid-week access to locker rooms by claiming interviews conducted in the locker room “invade their privacy and are uncomfortable.”The president of the Pro Football Writers Association, Calvin Watkins, said the PFWA vehemently opposes any press policy change that eliminates locker room access during the week and after games. “We’re not leaving the locker room,” Mr. Watkins said on the Old Scribes Podcast. “We’re here. We’re not going anywhere. There are rules in place for your privacy.”The players association’s executive committee issued a statement last week calling the current press policy outdated. It urged the NFL “to make immediate changes to foster a more respectful and safer workplace for all players.”The statement read in part, “Over the past three years, the NFLPA has tried to work with the NFL and Pro Football Writers of America to move press interviews out of locker rooms. However, there has been little willingness to collaborate on a new solution. Players feel that locker room interviews invade their privacy and are uncomfortable. This isn’t about limiting press access but about respecting players’ privacy and dignity.”The center and player rep for the Cincinnati Bengals, Ted Karras, doubled down on “The Pat McAfee Show,” saying, “Guys want to feel more comfortable in the locker room. There’s about 10 to 15 guys per week that get interviewed on a regular basis. If we can move that outside the locker room to somewhere close I think it will help in the overall comfort of everyone else.”The current press policy negotiated by the PFWA with the NFL requires teams to have mandatory open locker room access for accredited press for a minimum of 45 minutes on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. All players must be available, though it is common practice for star players, like the quarterback, to have a designated day to face the press.The current press policy allows for interviews to be conducted outside the locker room at the club’s or player’s request during the open locker room period. “It is the club’s responsibility to deliver access to all players during the time period and each player’s responsibility to cooperate,” the policy reads.A writer who has covered the NFL for nearly three decades for USA Today, Jarrett Bell, said eliminating locker room access would only create more reason for players to not cooperate with the press. “Nflpa is saying they’re not trying to restrict access, but that’s exactly what they’re doing,” Mr. Bell told the Sun. “It’s already in the media policy that if a player wants to do an interview outside of the locker room because he’s not comfortable or whatever reason, he can do it. I just wish people would respect the policy that’s there.”The issue of closing locker room access to the press began during the Covid pandemic, when all interviews with players and coaches were done virtually. Returning to the existing policy hasn’t been a smooth transition for either side.At Kansas City, writers are complaining that tight end Travis Kelce is seldom available during locker room sessions since his romance with pop star Taylor Swift became public. Mr. Bell said he was ushered away by a security guard when he attempted to interview Mr. Kelce earlier this season.At Pittsburgh, wide receiver George Pickens didn’t speak with the press following Sunday night’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Reporters wanted to question Mr. Pickens after he grabbed the facemask of Jourdan Lewis and pulled the Cowboys defensive back to the ground in the fourth quarter. Reports are Mr. Pickens hid in the equipment room on Monday to avoid members of the press during their locker room session.“That’s a violation of the media policy,” Mr. Bell said. “We get that all the time with certain players that just don’t want to talk. Quarterbacks have their press conference once a week and that’s worked out. But people need locker room access to get other players on a regular basis when you know they’re going to be available.”Press locker room access came into question last month when a non-PFWA press member covering the San Francisco 49ers posted a video of a locker room interview where a different player was partially nude in the background.The post was deleted, and Mr. Watkins promptly issued a memo to remind the PFWA membership “to be careful about what they’re doing.”Mr. Karras said players at Cincinnati have arbitrarily implemented a new access policy to protect “the sanctity of the locker room,” and they encourage other teams to follow suit. It’s a strong-armed tactic that probably wouldn’t work in major press markets.“It all comes down to these individual teams coming up with a good protocol,” Mr. Karras said. “We’ve got to work with the media. We’re not trying to pick a fight. We’re just trying to revamp the media procedure.”Mr. Watkins said teams need to educate their players about the policy and rules in place to maintain their privacy for the 45-minute period. There are areas in every modern locker room where players can dress and handle their personal business in private.“A lot of this is about more control and trying to bully the media,” Mr. Watkins said, adding, “The way the players are going about it can only promote aggravation and create hostility between the players and the media and that’s something we don’t want.”

Press, NFL Players Are Battling Over Locker Room Access

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