Two weeks ago, the NFL Players Association released their second annual grades of teams. Some did well. Some did not.
In Kansas City, owner Clark Hunt got the worst possible grade: F-minus.
Owners and teams that receive low marks can do one of two things. They can take it seriously, or they can ignore it.
We’ve already seen signs of the latter. Days after the grades were released, Sports Business Journal cited unnamed sources that tried to downplay and discredit the process.
Hunt, to his credit, might have taken it seriously. He came up with the money necessary to get defensive tackle Chris Jones to stay put.
And while Jones could have gotten more elsewhere, he was happy to receive $95 million over three years and to stay with a team that is currently pitching a tent atop Mount NFL.
Jones was happy enough that he has his own grade for Hunt: A+. No one should expect anything else from a guy who just made a boatload of money from Hunt. still, the mere fact that Jones used that grade shows the NFLPA process is resonating.
As it should. The players have tapped into a way to hold teams and owners accountable. That’s real power. And it’s apparently making teams and owners nervous.
Over time, we’ll find out which ones adjust their behavior accordingly — and which ones will keep wondering why they’re constantly bringing home the Bart Simpson report card.