Ted Karras Cincinnat Bengals player representative Ted Karras meets reporters in the locker room. Photo Credit: Mike Petraglia

The NFLPA on Friday urged the NFL to make “immediate changes” to its current “outdated” media policy regarding locker room interviews.

The players union’s statement calls for an immediate policy for post-game and practice week interviews to be held outside the locker room.

“Over the past three years, the NFLPA has tried to work with the NFL and the Pro Football Writers of America to move media interviews out of the locker rooms,” the statement read. “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 media access but about respecting players’ privacy and dignity.

“The NFL’s current media policy is outdated. We, the NFLPA Executive Committee, urge the NFL to make immediate changes to foster a more respectful and safer workplace for all players. In the meantime, we encourage each player to ask for interviews outside locker room during the week.”

Friday’s statement follows months of speculation and debate about a change in locker room access. Lloyd Howell, the NFLPA’s executive director, told the Washington Post in July that players “do not want to be interviewed when they’re naked,” and suggested the NFL’s media policy be “adjusted to have reporters interview players in a different setting following games and during practice weeks.”

That suggestion met with some resistance from media members, with a common sentiment being that locker room interviews facilitate more frank, in-depth discussions than those conducted in a formal setting.

Ted Karras, player rep for the Cincinnati Bengals, told media Tuesday that “each team is gonna figure out a program to where we conduct our interviews outside of the locker room,” in a bid to “get cameras off guys in private moments in our locker room.”

Ironically, Karras made his remarks to reporters in front of his locker.


There were mixed reactions to the NFLPA’s statement, with reporters, fans and past and present players sharing their thoughts.

[NFLPA]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.