Robert Kraft responds to Patriots' poor grade in NFLPA survey, says team is building new weight facility

BOSTON -- The New England Patriots were absolutely slammed for poor working conditions in last year's NFLPA survey. Owner Robert Kraft is trying to make sure that doesn't happen again in the upcoming season.

The Patriots ranked 29th out of the 32 NFL teams in last season's survey, which was taken in the middle of the season. Players voiced their displeasure over an extremely lackluster weight room and poor treatment of their families on game day, but also said they had no confidence that Kraft would invest in the facilities. 

Kraft was given a D-plus in the survey, grading better than just five other owners. He fought back at the notion that he wouldn't invest in the facilities on Tuesday.

Speaking with reporters in Orlando, Florida at the NFL owners meetings, Kraft announced that the team is building a new workout facility with a price tag of $50 million. He also said that he didn't realize that there was such a big issue with the lack of daycare at the facility, though that was also a complaint in the 2023 NFLPA survey.

Kraft believes both of these matters will be easy fixes for the franchise. 

"I must tell you, I was unaware of how bad that was," Kraft said Tuesday. "We've had a plan and we put in place and we're committing a whole new facility adjacent to ours that has been discussed with the young leadership team of a building that will be in excess of $50 million that will have the most modern facilities. 

"I was not aware even of this daycare issue. I mean, that's something that's fixable and we want to do," Kraft continued. "Look, the players are the heart and soul of the business. So I'd be very surprised if that didn't improve."

It's a bit surprising that Kraft wasn't aware of the conditions in Gillette, since the Patriots went down across the board from 2023 to 2024. And after two straight years of players saying they have the worst weight room in the NFL and no support for their families, the bar is set pretty low for this offseason's improvements. 

But at least it sounds like Kraft is committed to making the working conditions better in Foxboro.