NFL Players Union Slams MetLife Stadium Over Artificial Turf After World Cup Grass Installation

NFL players are fuming at MetLife Stadium. While soccer stars will compete on fresh grass next summer, football players must stick with fake turf. The stadium just put down natural grass for nine FIFA Club World Cup games starting on June 15.

The NFLPA fired back on social media. “Looks nice,” they wrote under PIX11 Sports’ video of workers laying the new grass field. Players have long pushed back against the artificial surface.

“The stats have shown we are on one of the worst fields in the league,” said former Giants team captain Julian Love.

In March 2023, the stadium tried to fix things. They installed “FieldTurf Core,” a new synthetic surface with special fibers. But the problems stayed. Jets QB Aaron Rodgers fell victim in his first game, tearing his Achilles on the new turf last September.

The numbers paint a clear picture. Players get hurt more on fake grass. Non-contact lower body injuries jump 28% on turf. Knee problems spike 32%. Worst of all? Foot and ankle injuries soar 69% compared to real grass. Former NFLPA chief JC Tretter shared these stark findings.

Eight World Cup matches will light up MetLife in 2026, with the Final as the crown jewel. As workers roll out temporary grass for soccer, NFL players want it year-round.

The NFL won’t budge. They claim injury rates match up between both surfaces. Yet this stance crashes against the NFLPA’s six years of injury tracking from 2012-2018.

Two NFL teams share MetLife Stadium, the Jets and Giants. As debates rage about player safety across the league, the field stays front and center in this heated clash.

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