The most noteworthy moment from tonight’s Packers-Eagles game was Aaron Rodgers disappearing into a MYSTERY TENT for a bit in the third quarter for some reason. It was initially unclear what the tent was or why Rodgers entered it, and Lisa Salters wasn’t sure what Rodgers was doing.
Right after Rodgers entered the tent, former Packer A.J. Hawk told an enthusiastic former Chopped champion that the tents were used for both bathroom breaks and injury checkups. An emergency privacy screen is probably useful for avoiding unintentional dong exposure, but using the same space for pooping and medical procedures seems strange.
It turns out, the tents are a very new technology on NFL sidelines. A group of mechanical engineering students from the University of Alabama came up with the design as part of a senior project, and the school quickly licensed the technology. The inventors intended it to be a space to quickly and privately evaluate players for injuries without having to shuffle them to the locker room.
As of June, 29 Division 1 teams and the Buffalo Bills had plans to use the tents. It appears that the model used by the Packers is smaller than the original tent, which looks fun to assemble.
Rodgers returned to the field shortly after entering the tent with an extra bit of padding around his left hamstring. He probably just had to take his pants off to get the treatment, and it was quicker than heading into the locker room. The treatment he likely received in there seems to have helped, and he didn’t miss a beat after returning to the game.