Many NFL players have been consumed by the treacherous turf at the Metflife Stadium and Aaron Rodgers is one of them. Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in 2023 as he was preparing for his debut with the New York Jets and the NFLPA was quick to blame the turf. There’s been an update with the turf there and the Metlife Stadium is set to switch to natural grass-but there’s a twist.
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The MetLife Stadium, one of the 15 stadiums in the league to boast an artificial turf will soon have a grass surface. However, the switch will not benefit the NFL players. Instead, the change will cater to international soccer matches, particularly for the 2026 World Cup.
Along with it, several other NFL Stadiums are transitioning from artificial turf to grass fields in order to accommodate high-profile soccer events. According to a post made by the NFLPA via IG, a total of eight stadiums will get a makeover for soccer matches in 2024. But even the NFLPA isn’t happy with the changes since the call for grass surfaces from NFL players remained ignored for many years.
“For years, NFL players have seen their calls to replace turf fields with high-quality grass fall on deaf ears,” read the caption, further questioning, “So now, with international soccer matches kicking off and more on the horizon, why have team owners suddenly decided to roll out the green carpet?”
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The list includes names like NRG Stadium, SoFi Stadium, AT&T Stadium and the Mercedes Benz Stadium. Others on the list are Bank of America Stadium, Lumen Stadium, and Gillette Stadium. While it is a change for the positive, the unavailability of grass fields for NFL players has triggered some responses across the NFL community, and one such response comes from a friend of Aaron Rodgers.
David Bakhtiari Reacts to Proposed Changes at MetLife Stadium
David Bakhtiari didn’t hold back when he heard about the news. The Packer’s tackle reshared the NFLPA’s post on Instagram, expressing strong disapproval. In a show of disagreement, Bakhtiari captioned the IG story writing, “This is just disrespectful. NFL players need to be more outraged by the blatant disrespect.”
David Bakhtiari on grass surface @MetLifeStadium pic.twitter.com/wq0i8c4Mas
— AnushreeGuptaOfficial (@Anushree_Gupta_) July 15, 2024
This isn’t Bakhtiari’s first time speaking out on the issue. The fact that turfs are uncomfortable for the NFL players and make them more prone to injuries has forever bothered Bakhtiari. Last season, rumors swirled that he skipped Green Bay’s Week 2 matchup against Atlanta due to the concern. Though he denied it, his stance on the turf is well-known.
Congrats @nfl. How many more players have to get hurt on ARTIFICIAL TURF??! You care more about soccer players than us. You plan to remove all artificial turf for the World Cup coming up. So clearly it’s feasible.
I’m sick of this..Do better!— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) September 12, 2023
Luckily, for the soccer players, the Metlife’s field will have a grass surface. Currently, MetLife Stadium is out of the 15 stadiums in the league that have an artificial surface, However, with eight grass surfaces coming up, the number will be down by 50%. What boggles the mind is the unavailability of grass surfaces for football, but who is to say voices like Bakhtiari’s could inspire a change soon?
