NBA star says reporters ‘stare at meat’ in locker rooms as he backs NFL players wanting to curb access

Philadelphia 76ers player Paul George has supported a ban on media entering locker rooms by offering up his own story of reporters ‘staring at meat’.

NFL players want a curb on media access due to stars being caught naked on camera and George, discussing the issue on his own podcast, has had similar problems in his basketball career.

‘I didn’t see that but I agree,’ he said on his Podcast P show, before his co-host brought up the so-called ‘meat-watching’ debate. 

‘There’s some honest truth to that,’ George said. ‘There was an incident even way back where guys would talk about this situation. 

‘There was a reporter in Washington that would look at dudes, stare at dude’s meat while they are in towels, while they are changing.

George (right) pictured in the Clippers locker room last season with James Harden (left)

‘You’ve got to understand that the game might be over and 10 minutes after that all the reporters are coming in. 

‘Immediately after the game you are not showering right away, you know what I mean?

‘You might take a second to process what just happened, get your thoughts together, relax a little bit. You’re gonna chill, check your phone.

‘I would say majority of the locker room, we’re naked. We’re in towels, we’re naked, just got out the shower.

‘And then you have these reporters in there and they’re not staring at a wall, you know what I mean? They’re looking at us.

‘And that’s our safe space. The locker room is our safe space to begin with. I try and talk to a teammate, that’s how stories get leaked. And a story gets blown out of proportion from these reporters ear-hustling.

‘I just think it is our place of privacy. It should be treated as that. There should be nobody in that space.’

George is having to wait for his 76ers debut, missing Wednesday’s game with a knee issue

The 34-year-old George is missing the season opener for Philadelphia on Wednesday night against Milwaukee Bucks due to a bruised left knee. 

It means George will have to wait for his Sixers debut. He left the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason, signing for Philadelphia on a four-year, $212million deal.

It is unclear how long George will be sidelined.