The NFL players’ union says the Cardinals are the only team in the league that charges players to have dinner at the team facility, and have the worst the weight room in the league.
The Cardinals’ report card issued by the NFL Players Association says that players on the Cardinals were the only players in the league who reported having money deducted from their paychecks if they grabbed dinner from the team cafeteria or had a meal when they showed up for additional offseason workouts.
“If players would like dinner, it will be boxed up for them, but players reported that the team will charge you via payroll deduction. This is apparently the only Club that does this,” the NFLPA says. “Players reported that if you work out at the facility after the season is over, the team charges you for every meal eaten at the facility (again, apparently the only team in the league that does this).”
A team that wants to win should want its players eating nutritious meals and putting in extra time in the weight room, but the NFLPA says Cardinals players question whether Cardinals ownership is too cheap to take the necessary steps to field a championship team.
“The locker room does not have confidence that owner Michael Bidwill is willing to invest to upgrade the facilities, as he ranks the lowest in that category across the league,” the NFLPA says. “The responses that provide the bases for that characterization include: the worst-ranked weight room, which some players feel is a safety hazard; an outdated training room and locker room; and a policy of deducting dinner from players’ paychecks should players want to get food from the facility.”
This is a big offseason for the Cardinals, who are trying to rebuild the franchise with new General Manager Monti Ossenfort and new head coach Jonathan Gannon. Ossenfort and Gannon may need to impress upon their boss that you don’t build a winning culture by nickel and diming players.