When you gotta go, you gotta go. But when you’re playing in the NFL and in front of thousands of fans, where do you go? Many NFL fans have wondered about this over the years. However, it’s not something many athletes care to discuss. It is a legitimate question, though, especially since we know NFL players must stay hydrated on gamedays.

With all that Gatorade flowing, they’ must need they’ll likely need to urinate at some point during a three-hour game. So do they hold it the whole time? Try to run off the field during a commercial break? Or sweat so profusely they don’t stay that hydrated?

Of course, the having-to-go urge while playing a game extends beyond just NFL players.

Where do other athletes go to the bathroom during games?

“Every single athlete has to deal with this in a different way, but one thing is the same: No one ever talks about it,” former women’s ice hockey player Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson told ESPN. “It’s a pretty universal thing we all share, relative to everybody: Everyone has to go.”

MLB fans have witnessed what some baseball players choose to do when relieving themselves. They take a restroom break while the game takes place.

You may recall when former Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez calmly walked over to the Green Monster and disappeared behind a door during a pitching change in 2005. He returned before actually missing a pitch, and the moment was just thought of as one of those “Manny being Manny” instances. But the outfielder proved that nature’s call was powerful.

Former Angels pitcher Jered Weaver also experienced having to go at an inconvenient time. In 2012, he was only three outs away from a no-hitter but couldn’t bear the urge any longer and rushed to the clubhouse bathroom as fast as he could. Likely feeling much better, he returned to the mound and got the last batters he needed out, cementing his place in history.

Other athletes, like now-retired swimmer Michael Phelps, have it a bit easier when they have to go, reports Huff Post. Yes, the greatest Olympian of all time admitted he peed in the pool during many of his races.

How do NFL players go to the bathroom during games?

Since we don’t see too many NFL players disappearing during football games, and there is no pool for them to relieve themselves in, they must have another tactic. And football fans are interested, as evidenced by the millions of searches for “NFL player pees pants” on TikTok.

You may be shocked or disgusted to learn that sometimes NFL players just pee on themselves. According to former Miami Dolphins star Channing Crowder, he did just that in every game he played.

“I would just be in the huddle, just pee, like you wouldn’t even … nobody in the stands would know unless you looked down like ‘That … That’s not water, man!'” he told ESPN.

Crowder isn’t alone. “Guys are peeing all over the sideline in every game, into cups, on the ground, in towels, behind the bench, in their pants, everywhere,” Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil explained.

However, some players try to be discreet about urinating on the sideline. In 2011, kicker for the then-San Diego Chargers Nick Novak was crouching down trying to pee, but CBS Sports cameras caught him in the act. As Kalil pointed out, while fans may not have been aware, it’s common knowledge among the players that most must relieve themselves during the game wherever they can.

Now you know.