The Jacksonville Jaguars have a general manager in Gene Smith who is referred to as "Clean Gene" by fans, because of his emphasis on good character. That emphasis went a bit further it seems with the hiring of new Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey. With Mularkey, the Jaguars looked for players who were married and even met with their wives during visits.
The Jaguars seem to think that happily married players will play better, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
The wives aren't solely there to be evaluated-they also get a sales pitch. When they first visited Jacksonville, the Jaguars gave both Brittany Henne and Kat Robinson tours of the team's practice facility and training rooms-the first time either said they'd seen one (wives are typically not at team facilities). They went to the beach and to lunch with Mularkey's wife Betsy. The team arranged massages for them at the hotel.
It wasn't just about making the players themselves feel welcomed, but it was about making their wives feel welcome as well. I mean, let's be real here... the wife is always the part of a big decision making process.
For more on the Jacksonville Jaguars and their players wives, visit SB Nation's Jaguars blog Big Cat Country.