After the Cincinnati Bengals received a F-minus for nutrition and cafeteria/food on their 2024 NFLPA report card, one player told ESPN’s Sarah Barshop that “some guys don’t eat at the stadium.”
The player, whom Barshop described as a “veteran,” said the food at his Power Five school was better than what he received in the NFL.
“Just diversity of what we had [in college],” the player said, per Barshop. “Diversity of what you can eat that was catered to you. Diversity from a standpoint of having a nutritionist that really could set a certain plan up for you in essence of what your goals were and what catered to you.
“I mean, that’s really the biggest thing when you get here. It’s a little more basic. Some guys don’t eat at the stadium.”
The NFLPA report cards released in February were based on a survey of 1,706 players. The Bengals were the only team to receive an F- ranking in both food-related categories.
The Bengals had microwaves and coolers in their player facilities as of 2022 so that athletes could store and reheat their own food, Barshop reported.
Cincinnati also received an F-minus rating in nutrition for that season, which Barshop reports the veteran player indicated “might have been one of the team’s best years in terms of food options.”
“We’ve never really had the true nutritionist,” the player added. “It was one of those things where it was like they [food staff] just made stuff and kind of [put it] out there.”
The 2024 report card from the NFLPA ranked the Bengal 30th in food taste and 31st in freshness.
The reports also stated that the Bengals are one of two teams in the NFL that does not offer players three meals each day, and that they are the only team in the league that shuts down the cafeteria when players have a day off, “even though many of the players come to the facility on off days for extra preparation and recovery.”
