Aaron Rodgers’ gruesome injury in Jets’ season opener broke the hearts of innumerable NY fans. He reportedly picked up a potential season-ending Achilles injury in his third snap. However, Aaron’s Packer friend David Bakhtiari and other fans are blaming the NFL for what they believe is the reason behind the veteran QB’s injury.
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Soon after Rodgers was seen carted off to the x-ray room, Bakhtiari and other fans blamed the MetLife turf for having claimed another big victim at the start of the season. Needless to say, an injury of this sort can really derail the New York Jets’ Super Bowl project that was evidently built around Aaron Rodgers.
David Bakhtiari Slams Metlife Stadium’s Artificial Turf for Aaron Rodgers’ Injury
David Bakhtiari uttered some strong words after the injury of Aaron Rodgers. His Tweet has yet again ignited a conversation about player safety in the NFL. Bakhtiyari took a stance against MetLife Stadium and didn’t hold back in calling out the league’s stance on artificial turf. He pointed out that while the NFL plans to remove all artificial turf for the upcoming World Cup, they seem to prioritize soccer players’ safety over the NFL.
https://t.co/IcYMu16gSo pic.twitter.com/5PnNjzog7o
— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) September 12, 2023
Innumerable fans also joined Bakhtiari in calling out the artificial turf as the reason for Rodgers’ injury. Let’s look at some of those X reactions by the fans:
39 almost 40, having a huge DE fall right on top of him… but yeah I guess the turf played it’s part too. Big Brains out here.
— Babineaux Redux (@MantecaBabinea1) September 12, 2023
I don’t get it. The NFL has went to great lengths to keep quarterbacks and other players from getting hurt during the hitting process. But won’t mandate safer playing surfaces. Just don’t make sense
— Jeff Roberts (@DC16RDLocal294) September 12, 2023
Rodgers needs to sue the @NFL and the stadium.
— TradingHerosForGhosts (@PinkStarShimmer) September 12, 2023
You know the jets owner woody Johnson who has refused to put grass in that stadium is sitting somewhere right now kicking himself…
— Patrick Martin (@PATMARTIN515) September 12, 2023
Aaron Rodgers had a grand welcome at the Big Apple. The off-season vibes were good. Chemistry with the teammates was building up and the honeymoon period with the Jets was in full swing for Rodgers. To see him go down in the very first game is a setback for the NFL community that was just waiting to see him play for a different team after spending nearly two decades with the Green Bay Packers.
NFL Players Association Advocates for Turf Safety
Rodgers’ injury in his Jets debut has drawn widespread attention and concerns about the turf at MetLife Stadium. The synthetic turf has been heavily criticized by players for its safety. A number of serious injuries have reportedly taken place due to it including ACL tears, which are mostly season-ending injuries.
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has been vocal about the issue for quite some time now. They have raised their voice multiple times about the need for change to ensure player safety. ESPN reported NFLPA’s stance on the same issue last November, where the association said,
“The change will not come soon enough, though, for players who will be at greater risk the rest of the season. We expect that whatever surface gets installed next year will meet the highest safety and performance standards possible.”
just going to leave this here
“The Injury Capital of the NFL” aka MetLife
they just installed a “new turf” that was supposedly safer, but… pic.twitter.com/VLioqQbXi1
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 12, 2023
Several past incidents, such as Sterling Shepard’s ACL injury and the losses of Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas in 2020 to torn ACLs during a 49ers game are just some recent examples. Now, Aaron Rodgers has been added to the list of injured players because of allegedly unsafe playing conditions. The New York Jets would surely be fuming right now.
