(Reuters) – The NFL Players Association called on Wednesday for the league to eliminate artificial turf fields in favor of natural grass surfaces following the season-ending injury to four-times MVP Aaron Rodgers this week.
The plea by NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell came two days after Rodgers’ much-anticipated debut with the Jets came to a quick end when the 39-year-old quarterback tore his Achilles on the team’s fourth play from scrimmage in their season opener.
Howell, who took over as NFLPA executive director in June, said in a statement that players overwhelmingly prefer playing on grass and that the issue of surfaces has been near the top of the players’ minds during his team visits.
“While we know there is an investment to making this change, there is a bigger cost to everyone in our business if we keep losing our best players to unnecessary injuries,” said Howell.
“It makes no sense that stadiums can flip over to superior grass surfaces when the World Cup comes, or soccer clubs come to visit for exhibition games in the summer, but inferior artificial surfaces are acceptable for our own players.”
The NFLPA this year released data showing non-contact injuries were more common on artificial turf compared to grass fields during the 2022 NFL regular season.
Rodgers was hurt while getting twisted up awkwardly on a sack, and Jets head coach Robert Saleh said he did not feel the playing surface caused the injury, adding “if it was a non-contact injury, I think that’d be something to discuss, obviously.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
