NFLPA survey shows Lions made pledged improvements to training room, nutrition offerings

Indianapolis — After an inaugural survey of NFLPA players in 2023 revealed the Detroit Lions lagged behind the league counterparts in both nutrition and training-room facilities, the team vowed to make improvements. A second annual poll released Wednesday, with nearly 80% of players responding, showed the Lions made advancements in both areas, but still have room to grow.

After receiving a D- in nutrition and D+ for their training room in the 2023 survey, the Lions saw players give the training room a B for the past season. Meanwhile, the nutrition category got broken into two parts this year, with the team's food offerings drawing a C and the nutritionist/dietician getting a C+. Despite those improvements, both ranked in the bottom half of the league.

Beyond those areas of focus, the Lions ranked in the top-half of the league in most categories and 13th overall, a two-spot improvement from last year. The franchise's treatment of families, travel amenities and weight room scored particularly well.

The survey also ranked head coaches and ownership for the first time. Not surprisingly, Dan Campbell scored among the highest in the league. He was one of three coaches to get an A+, along with Kansas City's Andy Reid and Minnesota's Kevin O'Connell.

As for ownership, Sheila Hamp scored a B-, which is probably a little lower than expected given the investment in team facilities and the overall cultural overhaul she has overseen, headlined by the hires of Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes in 2021. Hamp ranked 21st among owners in the survey.

In a letter to players, union president J.C. Tretter reminded the purpose of the survey, which is to serve as a helpful guide for players making free-agency decisions, while raising standards across the league.

"For many years, our players brought up the idea of creating a 'Free Agency Guide' that would illuminate what the daily experience is for players and their families at each team," Tretter wrote. "Last year, we created the first version of that guide, and it was a success on several levels: Players were more informed about how their workplace compared to others across the NFL; some clubs made immediate improvements based on the information we published; it gave our union a platform to advocate for raising workplace standards across the NFL. Based on the feedback we received from our players last year and the positive impact it had for players on several clubs."

Tretter noted participation in the survey grew from approximately 60% of members to 77% in one year.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers