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NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell called Wednesday for all 30 NFL stadiums to utilize natural grass rather than turf after New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.
ESPN's Adam Schefter posted Howell's statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he noted that data shows playing on grass instead of turf can help curb "unnecessary injuries."
During the Jets' 22-16 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles on New York's fourth offensive play from scrimmage when he was sacked by Leonard Floyd.
Rodgers, whom the Jets acquired in an offseason trade with the Green Bay Packers, was ruled out for the remainder of the game and the season.
Players and their representatives have long spoken out about their preference for natural grass. NFLPA president JC Tretter wrote a letter to the NFL in April in which he stated that data from the 2022 season showed there were significantly more non-contact injuries to the lower extremities on turf than grass.
Previously, Tretter had called for NFL stadiums to stop using slit film turf, leading to the Jets' and New York Giants' MetLife Stadium and the Detroit Lions' Ford Field switching to different types of turf.
Despite the change, MetLife Stadium is where Rodgers suffered the devastating Achilles injury that could potentially spell the end of his Hall of Fame career.
Rodgers' former Packers teammate, offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, was outspoken on social media after Rodgers got injured, blaming it specifically on the turf:
David Bakhtiari @DavidBakhtiariCongrats <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nfl</a>. 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. <br>I'm sick of this..Do better!
Per AS.com's Reem Abdalazem and Calum Roche, about half of the NFL's 30 stadiums use grass, meaning some significant, widespread changes will have to be made to fully eliminate turf.
While there are challenges that come with using grass in indoor venues and in cold climates, multiple teams have made it work in both scenarios, including dome teams like the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, and cold-weather teams like the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rodgers' injury was not non-contact, as he was being wrestled to the ground by Floyd, but it is fair to wonder if natural grass would have offered more give than the synthetic turf did.
While Rodgers' arrival in New York was among the biggest and most exciting storylines in the NFL this season, it didn't even last for an entire offensive series.
The Jets now must move forward with 2021 No. 2 overall draft pick Zach Wilson under center, while one of the NFL's biggest stars of the past two decades is on the shelf.
