No hot water for NFL teams to shower after Sunday’s game at FedEx Field
Known for leaking pipes, poor playing surface conditions and collapsed railings, FedEx Field is firmly near the bottom on most rankings of NFL stadiums.
Add ‘no hot water’ to the list of problems that have popped up at the home of Washington Commanders.
After the New York Giants defeated the Commanders 31-19 on Sunday, both the visiting and home locker rooms were without hot water for showers.
“We had an equipment failure in the main water heater that provides hot water to the field level locker rooms,” a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement, via NBC Sports. “We can’t resolve the matter without completely shutting off the water to the stadium, which is why it couldn’t be repaired in game.”
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera called the day ‘a low point’ in his four-season tenure with the team. And that was before news about the malfunctioning showers became public.
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Washington turned the ball over six times in the loss, and the defense surrendered 246 passing yards to Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito, who was 18-of-26 with three touchdowns in his second career start.
The Giants had eight plays of 20 or more yards, including a 40-yard touchdown pass from DeVito to Darius Slayton. New York has four offensive touchdowns this season. All of them have been against Washington.
After the game, Rivera was asked whether he was considering a staff change. The Commanders entered the matchup with the worst scoring defense in the league while ranking 29th in yards allowed per game.
‘I’m not going to discuss that right now,’ Rivera said.
He added: ‘I just say we’re going to take a look at things and then go from there.’
On Friday, Rivera said he hadn’t considered staff changes.
‘I’m not looking to throw anybody under the bus,’ he said.
Commanders quarterback Sam Howell threw three interceptions, and three different Commanders players each lost a fumble. Still, the team outgained the Giants by more than 100 yards.
The loss even allowed the last-place, likely-top-five-picking Giants to dish out trash talk, according to linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux. The second-year player said ‘thank you’ to Commanders left tackle Charles Leno Jr., who asked Thibodeaux why he said that.
The Commanders couldn’t wash it all – the loss and the insults – away, either.