With 14 out of the current 30 NFL stadiums using synthetic turf, players have been outspoken about their preference for natural grass over synthetic playing surfaces. The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), the labor union that represents NFL players, recently released data showing that injury rates on synthetic surfaces were higher than on natural surfaces.
In his President’s Corner column on April 19, titled “Why the NFL’s approach to field surfaces is uneven,” NFLPA President JC Tretter shared data from studies regarding natural grass and synthetic turf, and called on the NFL and team owners to take action.
“The NFL and team owners have the resources to fix these safety issues with fields, and it is inexplicable why there is such a failure to protect players on an issue that EVERYONE knows is a problem,” stated Tretter. “As much as the NFL wants to ignore the grass field issue, the data and their actions will continue to demonstrate their callous hypocrisy.”
Read Tretter’s full column on the NFLPA website.