Matt Hasselbeck Practicing with John Carlson in a Parking Lot

When fans think of NFL players, they think of multi-million dollar athletes who have top of the line personal trainers and the best resources available to them. We’re talking exercise machines, recovery hot tubs, and indoor and outdoor facilities to practice. But many of us forget that with the lockout, players no longer have access to their team’s facilities, meaning they need to find an alternative for workouts.

Some people work out in private facilities, gyms, public parks, local athletic fields, and some … in shopping mall parking lots. That’s Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for you, who told ESPN that’s what he’s done with his tight end, John Carlson.

“I was throwing in a parking lot with John Carlson, our tight end,” Hasselbeck said. “I’m throwing in a parking lot in front of a Goodwill store and a mattress store in the rain, and people are like ‘can’t you go find a high school field?’ You have no idea what it’s like to get kicked out of a high school field by like a gym teacher, so I’m just going to stick to the parking lot.”

I guess when Hasselbeck tries to pull his teammates together in the huddle and say, “hey, it’s just like those days in the parking lot” he’ll have a real-life reference. Honestly, I never ever thought it would come to something like this. How do they even do things without yard markers? Does Hasselbeck tell Carlson to run down to the Accord and cut in? Run a streak to the jeep? I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine practicing in a parking lot is a good thing. Let’s just hope it’s pretty well deserted.