The World Cup is finished, but NFL players hope grass fields are not.
After football venues including the Giants and Jets’ MetLife Stadium swapped out synthetic turf for natural grass for the global soccer tournament, big-name players including Breece Hall, George Kittle and Jonathan Taylor urged the NFL to stick with grass.
“Grass looks great at MetLife! Can we keep it that way @NFL?? Would appreciate it thanks,” the San Francisco 49ers tight end Kittle wrote on social media as he attended Sunday afternoon’s World Cup final in East Rutherford, N.J.
Hall — the Jets’ star running back who recently signed a three-year, $45.75 million contract extension — reposted Kittle’s message with a simple one of his own.
“PLEASE,” Hall wrote.
Players including Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, former Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas and former Giants safety Julian Love used the hashtag #WorthTheCost in their online pleas.
“Natural grass isn’t out of reach. Prioritizing players shouldn’t be either!” wrote the Indianapolis Colts running back Taylor — a post Hall retweeted.
Grass is more expensive to maintain than turf, and the latter offers stadiums more versatility to host events such as concerts.
But the NFL Players Association has long advocated for natural grass, contending it is easier on the players’ bodies. In May, NFLPA executive director JC Tretter said 92% of the approximately 1,700 players they polled preferred grass to turf.
Since the start of the 2022 season, Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) and Malik Nabers (knee) are among the players to suffer a serious leg injury at MetLife Stadium, which has long been the poster child for turf criticism.
In 2023, MetLife implemented a FieldTurf Core system that was considered a safer alternative.
MetLife was one of 15 stadiums that used some kind of synthetic turf last season — as were Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, New England’s Gillette Stadium, Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Seattle’s Lumen Field and Houston’s NRG Stadium, all of which switched to grass for the World Cup.
NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills has said there are no “statistically significant differences” between the surfaces when it comes to lower-extremity injuries or concussions.
Kittle suffered an Achilles tear in January at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, which uses natural grass mixed with artificial grass for Eagles games. Hall’s 2022 ACL injury occurred on grass at Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High.
But some players say the difference is significant.
“Turf vs Grass in December is no debate!” Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor wrote after attending Sunday’s final, which Spain won, 1-0 in extra time, over Lionel Messi-led Argentina.
“Doesn’t matter how cold it gets grass will always feel better. I’ve Played in Green Bay in early December and it still felt a million times better than turf anytime. Turf will never be the answer.”
