Former Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder is opening up about just how far he went to avoid missing a single second of team meetings during his NFL career. Even if it meant skipping the bathroom altogether.
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Crowder revealed that during meetings, he would regularly urinate into Gatorade bottles under the table rather than step out of the room and risk missing an offensive or defensive play being broken down.
“I would rather pee in a bottle — a Gatorade bottle underneath the table at the desk — than go to the bathroom and miss an offensive or defensive play,” Crowder said on The Pivot.
He described himself as a “consummate professional,” explaining that he never wanted to “willy-nilly” leave a meeting. Crowder added that his commitment to staying hydrated only made the habit more frequent, joking that he would line the bottles up along the wall after meetings.
According to Crowder, the unconventional routine was all part of staying locked in. “Never missed a play. Never missed a meeting. Stayed hydrated,” he said, summing up his mindset at the time.
Earlier this year, former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman shared his own story about how players handle bathroom breaks during games when leaving the field isn’t an option.
“Usually you go right on the sideline,” Edelman said when asked how players relieve themselves mid-game. “You’ll see two trainers who hold towels. You go right by the water cooler, and you get on your knees, you pull your pants down, and you go.”
Edelman emphasized that trainers play a key role in keeping things discreet. “Trainers are really good,” he said, explaining that players are often positioned between equipment stations while staff members hold towels to block the view. “They’re seeing everything, but the people aren’t.”
He added that it’s common practice around the league and joked that installing portable toilets on the sidelines “probably costs too much money for the NFL.”
