Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras recently shed light on a growing concern within the NFL: players being caught naked on camera during locker room interviews. This revelation has prompted the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) to push for changes in how media access is handled, calling the current policy outdated and an invasion of player privacy.
On Friday, the NFLPA made a formal statement advocating for curbing locker room interviews, urging for more respectful and private interview settings outside the locker room.
The statement emphasized that this isn’t about restricting media access but rather ensuring players’ dignity and comfort. “Players feel that locker room interviews invade their privacy and are uncomfortable. This isn’t about limiting media access but about respecting players’ privacy and dignity,” the NFLPA said. The union also called on the NFL to implement immediate changes to foster a safer and more respectful workplace environment for all athletes.
Karras, who serves as the Bengals’ union representative, voiced support for the NFLPA’s stance and explained that players’ privacy concerns stem from multiple incidents where players were unintentionally filmed naked during interviews. “As you’ve heard from a couple of teams now, and the NFLPA is going to come out with a statement, in an effort to protect the sanctity of the locker room and the comfort of the players, each team is going to figure out a program to where we conduct our interviews outside of the locker room,” Karras said. He made it clear that media access wouldn’t be completely barred from the locker room but emphasized the need for respect during private moments. “What we want to do is get cameras off guys in private moments in our locker room,” he added, pointing out that incidents of players being caught naked on camera have occurred several times in recent years.
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This movement comes in the wake of several high-profile incidents, including a recent confrontation involving San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk. On Friday, Juszczyk publicly called out a local reporter, Grant Cohn, for lingering in the locker room while players were changing. Juszczyk took to social media to express his frustration, saying, “Maybe we can keep Grant Cohn from always hanging around our lockers while we’re changing.” Cohn, a reporter for Sports Illustrated, responded on X (formerly Twitter), sarcastically writing, “I’m starting to think certain players on the 49ers don’t like me,” and followed up by sharing an article calling for the team to bench Juszczyk.
Adding to the tension, former NFL wide receiver and two-time Super Bowl champion Torrey Smith chimed in, accusing certain journalists of inappropriate behavior during locker room interviews. “If only y’all knew how awkward some of the male reporters act,” Smith remarked on social media, further fueling the conversation about locker room conduct and privacy concerns.
The NFL’s locker room access policies have long allowed reporters to mingle with players on both game days and practice days, providing behind-the-scenes access that is often invaluable to media coverage. However, as the NFLPA noted, these policies were crafted in an era when media and technology were different, and locker room access didn’t pose the same privacy risks it does today with the proliferation of cameras and instant sharing.
In response to the NFLPA’s push, the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) released a statement acknowledging players’ concerns but emphasized that locker room access remains a crucial part of media coverage. “NFL players asking to speak outside the locker room has always been a part of the league’s media access policy,” the PFWA stated. “We are continuing discussions with NFLPA executives regarding the media access policy. The goal is to make everyone comfortable in locker room settings and to have players and clubs follow the NFL media policy.”
The debate over locker room access is nothing new, but recent incidents have intensified the conversation, with players becoming increasingly vocal about their desire for privacy and respect in the workplace. As the NFL and its media partners look to find a balance between transparency and respect for player privacy, it’s clear that locker room culture—and the policies that govern it—may soon undergo significant changes.
For now, the NFLPA is continuing its push for reforms, hoping to make locker rooms a more respectful and private space for players, while still accommodating media access in ways that don’t compromise athletes’ dignity. Whether these changes will happen quickly or face resistance remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the conversation around locker room privacy is far from over.
