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NFL players person asked for years to make writer fields mandatory astatine their stadiums -- this summer, they are, but for different reason.
Seven NFL stadiums that usage artificial turf person transformed their playing surfaces to writer for FIFA regulations during nan World Cup.
Half nan league’s stadiums usage turf, contempt NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell saying that 92% of nan league’s players prefer grass.
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Andrew Whitworth #77 of nan Los Angeles Rams celebrates pursuing Super Bowl LVI astatine SoFi Stadium connected February 13, 2022 successful Inglewood, California. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Understandably so, Super Bowl champion violative lineman Andrew Whitworth said he "would decidedly be" irritated pinch nan convention if he were still playing.
"I don't deliberation there's immoderate uncertainty astir it, only because we've voiced truthful overmuch that we'd emotion to person it," Whitworth admitted.
"I get it. Here's nan reality -- erstwhile you look astatine these stadiums, they're intermezo venues. They're not conscionable for football. From nan Taylor Swift circuit to you sanction it, everything happens there. So erstwhile you say, each right, from an owning-a-building standpoint, from this being capable to run arsenic a venue for illustration that, I get it. To beryllium capable to person concerts, to beryllium capable to person each nan events they want to person there, you request a harder surface. So you understand that portion of it."
But 1 of nan reasons that Whitworth was "jacked up" to beryllium a Ram was that his section opponents played connected writer successful their location stadiums. Even erstwhile he first signed, nan Rams were connected writer astatine nan Los Angeles Coliseum.
The NFL logo is displayed connected nan section aft nan crippled betwixt nan Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills astatine Highmark Stadium successful Orchard Park, New York, connected Dec. 28, 2025. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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At this point, plentifulness of studies astir injuries and playing surfaces are conflicting, but Whitworth said it goes acold beyond existent injuries.
"We could nitpick each aboveground successful nan world of wounded rates, right? But I'll show you this -- inquire nan group who really guidelines connected nan writer and nan turf, what would you alternatively play on? There's nary different discussion," he said. "The reality is everyone wants to play connected writer because you consciousness better.
"At my age, older property aliases younger, you consciousness it successful your assemblage and successful your bones. Forget injuries. You consciousness it for days aft that game. Days and days. You tin conscionable consciousness nan difference. I ever show this to people. Go retired and return a agelong locomotion connected actual successful your neighborhood, past spell return that aforesaid locomotion connected a rubber aboveground astatine a way and spot really overmuch different you consciousness successful your body. That's nan reality. You play writer games, dude, I would bounce backmost successful a second. Even astatine 40, I'd play a writer crippled and beryllium like, 'Dude, I'm fresh to spell assistance tomorrow. I consciousness great.'
"But a turf crippled almost zaps you of each your power and your bones and each that. So I deliberation whenever we get into it, it's not conscionable astir data. It's astir erstwhile these players are saying it's that other emotion of different three, 4 days of, man, I conscionable consciousness terrible. I consciousness awful."
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Workers instal nan transportation astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, N.J., up of nan 2026 FIFA World Cup connected May 7, 2026. (Charly Triballeu/AFP)
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It was announced precocious past year that each NFL squad will beryllium provided pinch "a room of approved and accredited NFL fields" earlier nan 2026 play begins. Any caller section will instantly person to meet those standards, and each teams will person 2 years to execute them. Both writer and synthetic turf fields will beryllium taxable to nan caller standards.
The NFL has nary plans to require earthy writer fields.
The league’s main aesculapian officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said location are nary "statistically important differences" successful lower-extremity injuries aliases concussions that tin beryllium attributed to nan type of playing aboveground aliases a circumstantial surface, contempt wide preferences by players for writer fields and complaints astir surfaces specified arsenic nan 1 astatine MetLife Stadium, wherever the New York Giants and Jets play and wherever nan World Cup last will beryllium held connected July 19.
Fox News' Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
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