An interesting report card recently came out from the NFLPA. In a survey of 1300 players, they were asked to rank their team’s facilities. Everything from how modern the weight room and locker room are to how their families are treated to the quality of team training staff and plane rides.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the results weren’t favorable. Overall, their facilities were ranked just 22nd in the NFL, garnering especially low marks for their treatment of families and the quality of their weight and training room.
In the union’s overall conclusion, they noted the majority of players don’t feel like Team President Art Rooney II is investing enough money into the team’s facilities.
“Only 44% of players who responded feel like Steelers owner Art Rooney II is willing to invest money into upgrading their facilities, ranking him tied for 29th in this category.”
A pretty damning conclusion, especially considering how low that ranks across the league. It’s not clear exactly how many Steelers responded but 1300 players across 32 teams puts things at an average of 40 respondents per club.
Overall, here is how Pittsburgh broke down in each category surveyed.
Taking things group-by-group, the Steelers’ treatment of families received just a grade of D+. That’s not a statement over how the people are treated but based off what resources the team provides. Evidently, Pittsburgh is one of eleven teams that don’t offer gameday daycare and one of 14 teams who don’t offer a family room at the statement. The Steelers’ post-gathering area for families was ranked 31st in the NFL.
Pittsburgh received better marks in the Food/Nutrition category, tied 8th-best with a B+ grade. Players are provided three meals a day while 60% of those surveyed says the cafeteria has enough room.
The weight room was a different story, tied for 25th with a C grade. 73% of respondents said they don’t feel the team has enough strength coaches, tied for the worst mark of any team. According to the Steelers’ website, the team has three people who hold a strength and conditioning title: Garrett Giemont, Marcel Pastoor, and Rodain Delus. Giemont and Pastoor have been with the team for a long time while Delus is a relatively new hire.
While players felt like there weren’t enough strength coaches, the coaches who are there received high marks. Pittsburgh’s group received an A-. But as the NFLPA points out, most teams are happy with their S&C coaches and the A- grade was only good enough for 17th in the league.
The training room facilities was another category in which the Steelers didn’t grade out well, earning just a D-, tied for 27th across the NFL. The biggest gripes were a lack of Certified Athletic Trainers and PTs along with being one of just six teams in the league who don’t offer a sauna.
Training staff received a grade of B+ but similar to S&C coaches, most teams ranked that group well and Pittsburgh’s mark was tied for only 22nd in football.
One of the team’s worst surveyed grades was its locker room, earning a D+ that tied for 22nd in football. 20% of players said the locker room wasn’t big enough. Pittsburgh seems to have a relatively small locker room. Last year, undrafted rookie free agent Jaylen Warren had his locker in the middle of the room during the summer before he finally made the team.
Team travel fell in the middle of the pack, tied for 15th with a B grade. Every player surveyed felt like there was enough room on the plane and the Steelers don’t have roommates for road games. The only demerit was a lack of first class seating.
While it’s just one survey and results are always subjective, it doesn’t paint Pittsburgh in a great light overall. Some of this is due to the fact the Steelers simply have older facilities. They’ve played in the same stadium since 2001 and their practice facility is also more than 20 years old. Compared to brand new stadiums and team facilities, the Steelers are expectedly outdated. We’ll see if the team does any upgrading over the offseason or if the extent of their renovations will be confined to the bathrooms.
The top-surveyed team in the league was the Minnesota Vikings followed by the Miami Dolphins. The Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs were among the team’s who graded out the worst. Again, click the link here to see full league-wide results.
