GAME DAY COVERAGE
Credential Requests (Home Games):
Only credential requests from working media on specific assignment for a recognized news organization or sports publication will be honored credential requests. Credentials will not be issued to free-lance writers or photographers unless requested by a recognized news organization or sports publication. Season-long credentials are issued in August; game-by-game credentials must be requested before 5 p.m. on the Tuesday prior to each home game. The Texans do not credential online media outlets. All credential requests must be submitted online at www.houstontexans.com/media.
Credential Requests (Road Games):
If you are a regular member of the Houston media who wishes to cover the Texans on the road, submit request for game credentials and parking passes through Tiffani Walker at twalker@houstontexans.com. All requests must be submitted to no later than one game previous to a road contest. Credentials will be distributed on either Wednesday or Thursday during open locker room.
Parking:
(Game day) Parking for Texans games must be applied for online at www.houstontexans.com/media/index.aspcredentials. The appropriate parking pass will be required for access to media parking lots on game day.
Entry on Game Day:
The media entrance at Reliant Stadium is on the west side of the stadium on the corner of Kirby and Murworth. Enter the media entrance which is located just right of the Verizon VIP gate.
Will Call:
Media will call is located on the west side of the stadium at the corner of Kirby and Murworth. The media will call gate is located just right of the Verizon VIP gate. The appropriate game credential must be presented at the media entrance for admission into the stadium. Game credentials not picked up in advance will be available on game day at the credential will-call window. Please remember to bring a valid ID. The window will open three hours prior to kickoff and bags will be checked upon entrance to the stadium.
Phones and Internet:
To request a phone on gameday, contact Nick Ignatiev of the Houston Texans IT department at (832-667-2122) the week prior to the game. The Texans press box offers complementary wireless Internet and high-speed lines upon request. To request high speed Internet access, contact Kevin Cooper at kcooper@houstontexans.com. If you have any questions on game day, see Nick Ignatiev. His post in the press box is located on the third level behind Kevin Cooper and Tony Wyllie.
Postgame Interviews and Locker Room Access:
Members of the media needing to conduct post game interviews will be given access to the Texans and visiting interview rooms after the game, as well as the home and visiting locker rooms. NO STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS OR AUTOGRAPHS ARE ALLOWED IN THE TEXANS LOCKER ROOM. With six minutes remaining in the game take the media elevator the field level. With two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, media members will be allowed on the field. Radio, print and television interviews (including the microphones of television reporters) of Texans players are not allowed on the field following the game. Gary Kubiak's post-game interview session with the media will begin approximately 10 minutes following the conclusion of the game and will be held in the Texans team meeting room (white arrow). Electronic media covering the press conference are asked to use the mult-box to ease congestion at the podium. Both team locker rooms will be open to press bearing the proper credentials following the NFL-mandated 10-minute cooling-off period. The visiting head coach will be available in the visitor's interview room adjacent to the visiting locker room.
To reach either locker room from the press box, simply take the elevator to the service level and follow proper direction arrows on the ground:
Blue- Texans locker room
Red- Visitors locker room
White- Texans post game press conference
Press Box:
The press box phone numbers are (832) 667-2301 (home PR) and (832) 667-2310 (visiting PR).
Photographers:
Photographers who are credentialed on a season-long basis for sideline access will be required to wear a photo vest. Sideline access for NFL games is limited to photographers on assignment for recognized or sports publication. No one except network television personnel and authorized game personnel will be admitted to the field without a camera. All field photographers must remain outside the bench areas and outside the yellow border surrounding the playing field.
DURING THE WEEK
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Monday
Kubiak 3:00
Players After
Tuesday
Players Day Off - Community Appearances
Wednesday
Media Noon-12:45
Practice 1:20-3:20
Players/Coaches available after practice/meetings
Thursday
Media Noon-12:45
Practice 1:20-3:20
Players/Coaches available after practice/meetings
Friday
Practice 11:35-1:30
Players/coaches available after practice
Saturday
Walk-Thru
Closed to Media
Sunday
Game day
Players and coaches are not available to the media until after the game except for network television obligations such as brief halftime interviews with the head coach.
Media Workroom:
The media workroom is located on the concourse level at Reliant Stadium across from the Texans locker room. The room is available to working media throughout the week. Phones, Texans information, NFL news releases and other information are available.
Interview Requests:
All interview requests for the Houston Texans executives, coaches, and players should go through the Texans media relations department.
Please give at least 48 hours for your request. For Texans players, assistant coaches and executives, please send your request to Kevin Cooper at kcooper@houstontexans.com and his office phone is (832) 667-2035 or Zac Emmons at zemmons@houstontexans.com and his office phone is (832) 667-2220.
Texans players are available for phone interviews on Wednesday and Thursday from 11:35 a.m. to 12:05 or after 3:30 p.m. On Friday, players are available after 1:45 p.m.
Request for Owner Bob McNair, General Manager Richard Smith and Head Coach Gary Kubiak should be sent to the attention of VP of Communications Tony Wyllie. His e-mail address is twyllie@houstontexans.com and office phone is (832) 667-2203.
Kubiak's Monday news conference is held in the Texans media workroom at 3:00 p.m. He speaks with the media after practice on Wednesday and Thursday at 3:15 p.m. and on Friday at 1:35 p.m. on the Texans practice field. Kubiak conducts his weekly conference calls on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. for the opposing media.
Open Locker Room Periods:
The Texans open locker room period is Wednesday and Thursday from Noon to 12:45 p.m. on the service level of Reliant Stadium. Friday's open locker room period begins at 1:35 p.m. Please be advised that sit down interviews will take place after practice at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Special requests can be fulfilled on Monday or Tuesday, but it should be cleared with a member of the Texans media relations department. You should give at least a week's notice for special arrangements on Monday and Tuesday. Everyone in the locker room has to dress professionally and have a job function. The Texans media relations department can remove any member of the media from the locker room for improper dress or unprofessional behavior.
Conference Calls:
The Texans media relations staff will record and transcribe all visiting team conference calls. Conference calls take place on Wednesday either in the media workroom or the practice bubble conference room. Weekly updates of conference call participants and times will appear on houstontexans.com/media.
Practice Regulations:
All Texans practices are open to local media. Photographers may film for 10 minutes during individual stretching and drills. Texans head coach Gary Kubiak will speak after Wednesday and Thursday practice at approximately 3:30 p.m. and on Friday at approximately 1:20 p.m. National media will be escorted to the final 10 minutes of practice for coach Kubiak availability.
Press Releases:
The Texans weekly press releases, as well as other news and information on the club, can be accessed on the team's official website at www.houstontexans.com or in the media section at www.houstontexans.com/media/index.asp. Members of the media also can access league information from the NFL's media site at www.nflmedia.com. The NFL's official web site address is www.nfl.com.
Parking:
(Week) Parking for covering Texans weekly press conferences, open locker room or for access to the media workroom, use the day lot, located on the southeast corner of Kirby and Westridge. While covering practice, park in the teal lot on the northeast corner of Kirby and Murworth.
Access league information from the NFL’s media site at www.nflmedia.com. The NFL’s official web site address is www.nfl.com.
