Tag: Jets locker room

Greg Van Roten downplays Jets’ locker room cameras: ‘It’s not like they’re spying on us’

With the NFL Players Association looking into the presence of security cameras in the Jets’ locker room, New York’s union representative reiterated Tuesday that players on the team are not concerned. “Talking to the guys on the team, nobody cares …

With the NFL Players Association looking into the presence of security cameras in the Jets’ locker room, New York’s union representative reiterated Tuesday that players on the team are not concerned.

“Talking to the guys on the team, nobody cares that there are cameras in there,” Greg Van Roten said on a conference call with reporters, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “We know why they’re there. They’re there to protect us if something happens, if something goes missing. It’s not like they’re spying on us.”

According to Van Roten, the heart of the issue lies within whether the cameras violate the collective bargaining agreement. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that the NFLPA believes this is a collective bargaining matter, while the NFL does not. The Daily News’ Manish Mehta reported over the weekend that Jets players were unhappy with the cameras being in the locker room, which Van Roten denied.

“We all know there are cameras in there. It’s no secret,” Van Roten said. “The team is up front about that. It’s an ongoing conversation between the NFLPA and the NFL Management Council regarding that. There are different perspectives on if that’s OK, if it’s not OK. The players’ issue with it is not privacy-related. I’ll say that.”

Van Roten went on to say that the players’ concerns center around the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols and if the league can use security camera footage to punish players if they are caught not wearing masks in the locker room. The NFL responded to the NFLPA’s concerns by saying the Jets, and every other team in the league, have the right to use the cameras.

New York has yet to comment on the matter.

“I don’t know if a player on our team complained or how it got to where it got,” Van Roten said. “I just know no one was surprised about that. I don’t think it’s unique to the Jets that there are cameras adjacent to — and sometimes in the locker room. The CBA is a very powerful tool. There are a lot of rights the teams have and the jurisdiction gets kind of cloudy as to who has the say here.”

Santa becomes latest victim of Jets’ injury bug

The holiday spirit couldn’t stop Santa from escaping the Jets’ injury woes.

The Jets have been plagued with a horde of injuries this season, thinning them out at just about every position at one point or another.

The pain hasn’t stopped with the players, though. Even jolly Saint Nick seems to have been bitten by the injury bug that’s been buzzing around New York.

We know this because The Athletic’s Connor Hughes noticed an inflatable Santa Claus slumped over a trash can in the Jets’ locker room on Wednesday. After discovering a hole in the holiday decoration, Hughes couldn’t help but jokingly connect the scene to Gang Green’s injury woes.

The Jets have placed 15 players on injured reserve since August, including household names such as C.J. Mosely, Ryan Kalil, Quincy Enunwa and Avery Williamson.

The bad news doesn’t end there, either.

New York released an injury report on Dec. 4 that listed 13 players currently fighting ailments and other setbacks. That list included safety Jamal Adams, offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum and tight end Ryan Griffin.

Not that it would do them any good this season, but the Jets may want to ask for a clean bill of health this Christmas. They just shouldn’t count on the Santa in their locker room to be the one delivering the elusive gift.

Sam Darnold credits Jets locker room for bouncing back after 1-7 start

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold gives credit to the players in the locker room for responding from a 1-7 start.

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold praised the locker room for how the team has been able to bounce back from a 1-7 start to the season.

The Jets could’ve easily mailed it in for the season after the first eight games, but Adam Gase has done a good job keeping the team together and playing hard. While Darnold is giving Gase credit for that, he believes the players in the locker room are the ones continuing to put in the work and trying to win every week.

“We got such good guys in the locker room,” Darnold told reporters. “The coaches do a great job of making sure that we all stay together and they do a great job to continue to work hard and gameplan, but everyone in that locker room is set on winning.”

Under former head coach Todd Bowles, effort was sometimes a problem. It didn’t necessarily happen over a long stretch of games, but here and there you’d see the Jets clearly not care about a game. It’s good to see that this hasn’t yet been a problem under Gase, despite all the issues that he’s had with players so far in his first season.

As for the players, there’s definitely a belief among them that they can win football games consistently. But with the amount of bad luck the Jets have had with injuries, it has made it more difficult to win games.

Now that the Jets are getting some players healthy again, you’re starting to see glimpses of this team playing well. Obviously, the last two games have been against the bottom feeders of the league, but you still have to go out and execute.

If the Jets can continue to build on these wins, there should be some more confidence heading into next season.