NFL players upset over nude photos want media interviews outside locker rooms

Earlier this year, the organization's president, Calvin Watkins, told members during a Pro Football Writers of America meeting in Indianapolis that NFL players wanted to close team locker rooms to the media.

Watkins, the league and the NFL Players Association had been discussing the matter for some time and so far the conclusion was that nothing would change.

Well, now something is changing.

SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 29: Nick Zakelj #63, Isaac Yiadom #22 and Maliek Collins #99 of the San Francisco 49ers in the locker room before the game against the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Patriots 30-13. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

No more locker room interviews

On Thursday, some individual players and at least one club – the Cincinnati Bengals – announced they would no longer be doing interviews in their locker room going forward.

“As you have now heard from some teams and the NFLPA will be making a statement, in an effort to protect the sanctity of the locker room and the comfort of the players, each team will find a solution to the program where we conduct our interviews outside of the locker room.” said Bengals center Ted Karras, the team's union representative.

“That doesn’t stop you from entering the locker room. We can't do that. But what we want to do is protect the guys from cameras in private moments in our locker room.”

With the exception of game days, players will utilize and enforce a portion of the current NFL media access policy where it has rarely if ever been enforced before.

The policy is:

“…Each club will make players available to accredited media for player interviews on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the normal training week (based on a Sunday game).”

“This also includes mandatory open locker room sessions for at least 45 minutes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Monday, player availability may be in an open locker room, interview room or other location or virtually, but players must be available.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 11: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates in the locker room after winning Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada has. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

Players use politics to their advantage

And here's the rarely used part that appears to be used more frequently by several teams and many players:

“The actual open dressing room interviews may be conducted outside the dressing room at the request of the club or player, but the media must be permitted to personally address the interview request to the player in the dressing room.”

The NFL's media policy has been in place for decades but is updated regularly, with the most recent update occurring in 2023.

However, the reason for players' changing view of this policy has emerged in recent years, as electronic media caught interviews on camera and sometimes captured players in compromising undress.

CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 23: Ted Karras #64 of the Cincinnati Bengals watches from the sideline before an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at Paycor Stadium on September 23, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

“Men naked in front of the camera”

“What really brought it to light was a few naked men on camera this year,” Karras said. “This has happened a few times in the history of the league.”

Karras called this a “matter of solidarity for the NFLPA.”

In his opinion, the statement from the players' union is still to come. The NFLPA released this statement Friday afternoon.

Pro football writers respond

The Pro Football Writers Association sent OutKick a statement Thursday night regarding the players' intentions:

“The PFWA is aware of the actions taken by some in this matter. The NFL media policy governs access and interaction between media and clubs to serve the public interest. League policy sets out the rules for this access and the PFWA helps ensure these are followed by clubs.”

Foxborough, MA – October 2: New England Patriots DT Davon Godchaux speaks to the media before practice. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Fans are unlikely to support the media

This is a losing issue for the media. They would argue that less access would undeniably mean less information. Less content.

Fans will get less.

But you see, fans are there for the players. Not the media.

And of course you can't argue against the fact that men don't want to be naked in front of the camera. It's actually admirable that these men with toned bodies don't want to be seen naked in public.

By the way, these embarrassing moments are everyone's fault – including the NFL clubs.

The NFL media policy states: “Maintaining player privacy is of the utmost importance.”

“If the changing room is open to the media immediately after training, the club must hide the shower area from view and wear appropriate clothing, e.g. B. hand out wrap towels or bathrobes to protect the privacy of the players.

“Prior to opening the locker room to media, a member of the club's communications staff will walk through the locker room and directly inform players and coaches that the locker room will soon be opened to accredited media for player interviews.”

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JUNE 13: General Manager Brandon Beane of the Buffalo Bills speaks to the media after the Buffalo Bills' mandatory minicamp on June 13, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)

Cameras and camera phones are to blame

Years ago none of this was a problem. Once upon a time, only print reporters were allowed to conduct locker room interviews. They had neither television cameras nor camera phones.

Electronic media would also cover the league, but the networks would send reporters who would ask players to come out of the locker room to give television interviews. That ended in the mid-1990s, and by that point, naked NFL players were occasionally appearing on television.

By the way, no one is going back to a time when print reporters had the most access because it is primarily television that pays the rights fees to the league.

So here we are.

“I know this is an inconvenience for you,” Karras told reporters, “but given recent events in the league and the wishes of our members, we are making this happen.”