Cincy Jungle
Nobody graded worse.
The Cincinnati Bengals have made a number of improvements to their facilities in recent years. A redesigned locker room, indoor practice facility and new turf field have made headlines over the last couple of seasons and they appear to have plans to do more.
Apparently, there is still work to do. ESPN’s Ben Baby spoke to anonymous Bengals players about the treatment of players’ families on game days at Paycor Stadium, and it is safe to say that the Bengals need to step it up.
In a feature story by Sarah Barshop, one player told Baby that the game day operation is a “S*** show,” and the Bengals were graded the lowest in the league in that same category on the NFLPA report cards.
They received an F- grade, which means there’s nowhere to go but up. It does appear the Bengals are making an effort, though.
“They have that tent out there, but it’s a s—t show and it’s cold and it’s not inside,” one player said about where the players meet their families postgame.
Last season, the Bengals did move the families inside for postgame meetups and it appears that will be the case going forward, so that is a step in the right direction.
Another player was concerned about his family standing in the long lines without him there to watch over them. In the day and age of the internet, players spouses and children are more identifiable in public, so he would like to see extra measures to keep them safe.
“Just different things where they can make it more convenient for our families, especially when the husband’s not there,” one veteran player said. “We’re worried about them. I think it would be easier for us if we had certain things for families, we don’t have to worry about it.”
The Bengals are making progress, albeit at their own pace. Hopefully, this message lands and they are able to make players and their families more comfortable going forward.
