After the NFL players’ association called for changes to the “outdated” league media policy, longtime South Florida sports reporter Dan Le Batard is taking the players’ side.
Earlier in October, the players called on the league and media to move interviews outside the locker room, and Le Batard believes the NFLPA has good reason to believe that setup can get the job done. Le Batard explained in a guest appearance on Nothing Personal with David Samson on Monday that athletes no longer need constant, intimate connections with the media to get their message out.
“I think they’re right. I don’t like that they’re right,” Le Batard explained. “It started with the pandemic, and I want that access, but more and more, these athletes are understanding that they don’t need us to be so close to them all the time. It prevents us from doing the job as well as we’d like, but we have now more ability to be close to the athlete because they control their own social media.”
Le Batard came up in Miami, writing deeply reported stories about unique athletes like Vladimir Guerrero and Ricky Williams and developing genuine relationships with them to shine a light. Without locker room access, that process does get trickier.
However, the NBA restricted locker room access after the pandemic and suffered no shortage of media attention or star status. In the NBA, players come to the podium immediately after coaches, and locker rooms open shortly after that.
The NFLPA has repeatedly pushed this issue under new executive director Lloyd Howell. Under current rules, players are allowed to request to speak with reporters outside the locker room and are given a cool-down period after the game before media is allowed in.
Currently, the media policy posted on the Pro Football Writers website states:
“To relieve congestion in the locker room, each club must bring the head coach, the quarterback, and at least one additional player who had an impactful role in the game to an interview area as soon as possible.”
With 53 people on the roster plus the coach, it’s common for other NFL players to speak in front of their lockers.
If the NFLPA had its way, this would go away. And Le Batard can’t fault them for it.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.