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.”
