NFL Wins Grievance to End NFLPA's Report Card System

Players and former players slam the decision, citing lack of accountability for team owners.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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The NFL has won a grievance against the NFL Players Association that ends the NFLPA's ability to publish report cards grading teams on various aspects of their operations, including facilities, training staff, and coaching. Many current and former NFL players took to social media to criticize the decision, arguing that the report cards helped keep team owners accountable.

Why it matters

The NFLPA report cards had become a way for players to publicly grade and pressure team owners to improve working conditions and facilities. With the report cards now banned, there is concern that team owners will face less public scrutiny and accountability for the quality of their operations.

The details

An arbitrator ruled that the NFLPA report cards "disparaged NFL clubs and individuals" and violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement, leading to an order prohibiting the NFLPA from publishing future report cards. The report cards had graded teams in 11 categories, including locker rooms, weight rooms, food/dining, training rooms, head coaches, and ownership. Some teams, like the Arizona Cardinals, had responded to poor grades by announcing facility improvement plans.

  • On February 13, 2026, the NFL distributed a memo to teams announcing the end of the NFLPA report card system.

The players

Cameron Jordan

A player for the New Orleans Saints who criticized the decision on social media.

J.J. Watt

A former NFL player and current CBS analyst who weighed in on the decision on social media.

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What they’re saying

“The NFL is upset that Teams have been graded, judged and coerced to update to facilities, training staffs, weight rooms. Necessities to keep the modern NFL athlete top tier.”

— Cameron Jordan (X)

“NFL won't let actual players grade the workplace they attend every single day, but they'll allow a 3rd party 'grading' service to display their 'rankings' of players on national television every Sunday night...”

— J.J. Watt, Former NFL Player and CBS Analyst (X)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow the NFLPA to continue publishing the report cards.

The takeaway

This decision highlights the ongoing tension between NFL players and team owners over transparency and accountability. While players argue the report cards helped keep owners accountable, the league has now successfully moved to end the practice, raising concerns about a lack of public oversight over team operations and player working conditions.