Earlier this week, the NFL Players Association made it clear they wanted the league to switch all its fields to natural grass, calling it “the easiest decision the NFL can make.”
Executive director Lloyd Howell issued a statement Wednesday saying NFL players “overwhelmingly prefer it and the data is clear that grass is simply safer than artificial turf.” Howell said the issue “has been near the top of the players’ list during my team visits and one I have raised with the NFL.”
The players’ union called for the change less than 48 hours after a season-ending injury to four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He tragically tore his left Achilles tendon in his debut with the New York Jets on Monday night.
Forbes has crunched the numbers to see just how much it would cost the league to change to a grass playing surface in the interest of player safety.
Given the revenue numbers that each team generates, paying $12 million is a drop in the bucket for a multi-billion dollar league.
As a member of the Green Bay Packers for nearly two decades, Rodgers always played at least half of his games on grass at Lambeau Field.
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Now that he has had surgery and plans to make his way back to play next year, it looks like he will be returning right back to the turf the Jets play on since they switched it out just this year with a design claiming to lower the risk of injury.
Rodgers’ injury for many players, including Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari, appeared to be the last straw in their fight over playing surfaces as many blasted the NFL. Half of the teams play in stadiums that use artificial turf.
