“They Fear Retribution for Speaking Up for Better Care”: NFLPA Hits Up Kansas City Chiefs for Poor Handling Of Player Injuries

Published 03/03/2023, 9:30 AM EST

The Kansas City Chiefs are reigning supreme as the Super Bowl LVII champions. Patrick Mahomes and company have defied all odds and fought till the end. Despite hitting adversity, the franchise became the World Champion this year. However, as great as they may look on the outside, the actuality may differ on the inside. The NFLPA’s reports place the SB LVII champs in a downright position.

The NFL has reached the offseason period and is yet to arrive at the free agency window. Ahead of that, the NFLPA disclosed their first-ever teams’ annual report card. They ranked the 32 franchises as food quality, family treatment, mentorship staff, traveling, and locker rooms.

Kansas City Chiefs score an all-time low grade on the report card

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The union’s report card placed the Kansas City Chiefs in a perilous position. The Men in Red ranked 29th among the 32 teams. The franchise averaged a D grade in many categories, and the players seemed to have issues with head trainer Rick Burkholder. The reports mentioned, “They feel discouraged from reporting their injuries. They do not feel they get the level of personal care that they should. They fear retribution for speaking up for better care.”

Digging through the Chiefs report card from the NFLPA and it's…not great.
Thread of general findings:
"In general, the results show that the facility feels outdated and players would like to see upgrades across the board."https://t.co/DGIZRA5rqF pic.twitter.com/3X3Q0BGY7P
— Shaun Newkirk (@Shauncore) March 1, 2023

The Chiefs’ training facility [The University of Kansas Hospital Arrowhead Training Complex] had its last renovation in 2007. It might be time that owner Clark Hunt loosened some cash to shell out on the training facility upgrades.

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The franchise’s weakest link was with the training staff. The athletes have issues with just one person [Rick Burkholder] as he did not treat athletes fairly. Overall, the athletes found the facility old and could use some renovations. The treatment of players also fell below, which might be a concerning thing to witness.

KC Chiefs undergo coaching developments

As the new season approaches, the Chiefs undergo some intense developments. As Eric Bieniemy left for the Washington Commanders, the franchise also prepared itself as they would defend the world title in the 2023-24 season. The team’s coaching staff pick up some radical moves and promotions in recent memories.

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Chiefs coach Andy Reid says assistant QB coach David Girardi will move up and take the QB coach role previously held by Matt Nagy, who was promoted to offensive coordinator. pic.twitter.com/c1p9bdFKoq
— Herbie Teope (@HerbieTeope) February 28, 2023

The Chiefs promoted Matt Nagy to the offensive coordinator. With stars like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and more, Nagy would lead an electrifying offense. Additionally, to fill up the QB coaching spot, they moved David Girardi into the position at the NFL Combine.

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It is yet to witness who would fill in for Girardi’s previous role.

Watch This Story: Patrick Mahomes downplays GOAT status on surpassing Tom Brady

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Written by:

Pavitra Shome is an NFL author at EssentiallySports. He began writing while working for an online news portal and holds a Master's Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Although Pavitra enjoys watching WWE, Gronk and Brady turned him into an NFL aficionado.

“They Fear Retribution for Speaking Up for Better Care”: NFLPA Hits Up Kansas City Chiefs for Poor Handling Of Player Injuries

Kansas City Chiefs score an all-time low grade on the report card

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