Towel Firm Swamped by NFL’s Robe Order

A Wisconsin towel company is trying to fill the NFL’s order for 2,100 terry-cloth robes and wraps for players so that female reporters won’t face any more locker room interference.

But McArthur Towels workers learned that their one-size-fits-all wrap-arounds don’t fit some of the hulking players.

“The Green Bay Packers equipment manager called and said the terry wrappers we sent weren’t large enough to fit five of their 300-pound players,” said Greg McArthur, executive vice president of the family business. He said the company has been doing custom work for larger players.

“It’s been hectic,” McArthur said.

The mass order was prompted by locker room incidents involving women reporters covering the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

McArthur Towels, a 100-year-old company, is to provide $40,000 in robes and wrap-arounds, towels that can be secured around the waist with Velcro closures. Each of the NFL’s teams is required to order 75 cover-ups of some sort.

The first shipments have been sent out and are being worn in the locker rooms, NFL officials said.

Aiello said players won’t be required to wear towels or wraps while reporters are in the locker room.

McArthur Towels has been supplying NFL towels, robes and wraps for five years, but this is the first time the company has been ordered to ship supplies to every team at the same time. The robes and wraps are being produced in the team colors or in white, and include the team’s logo.

McArthur said it usually takes about 3 1/2 yards of fabric to make a standard-size, 24-by-54-inch wrap. He said the company is extending the waistline by eight inches for larger players.