Sunday in Pittsburgh, the field at Acrisure Stadium during the Browns-Steelers game looked bad. Very bad.
“On the verge of unplayablewere the words used by quarterback Aaron Rodgers to describe the playing surface.
According to NFL Players Association sources, players from both teams almost immediately contacted the union to express their “outrage” over the “embarrassing” condition of the turf. The NFLPA has expressed its concerns to the NFL.
At a time when the grass versus grass debate has been relaunched, players are favoring grass. But it must be high quality weed. The NFLPA continues to pressure the NFL to improve and coordinate turf maintenance practices across the league.
Part of the problem is likely because the Steelers and Pitt share facilities. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recently suggested that Pitt should take over. In reality, no NFL team should share its playing surface with other football teams.
The root of the problem remains money. Many homeowners don’t want to invest the money to have grass on lawn. Those who have grass cannot let nature take its course.
Then there’s the fact that the companies that pay for the naming rights to NFL stadiums would prefer their brands not be mentioned in connection with anything negative, whether it’s a horrible playing field or raw sewage rains on customers. (This 2021 incident may have led some fans to conclude that “FedEx” is short for “Fed Excrement.”)
Most importantly, workplace safety is a given across America. The field is the workplace of football players. The NFL and its team owners should spare no expense to provide players with the best possible workplaces, especially at a time when owners have gone out of their way to comply with FIFA’s rigorous requirements in connection with next year’s World Cup.
