Andrew Whitworth, Richard Sherman Call for Safer NFL Playing Surfaces

The analysts made their thoughts known on Thursday night.

CINCINNATI — NFL players are bringing more and more attention to dangerous playing surfaces this season. The debate took centerstage on Thursday night during the TNF Nightcap.

Amazon's Michael Smith brought up the NFLPA letter recently sent to the league calling for the removal of slit-film turf surfaces used at six NFL stadiums, including the one at Paycor Stadium.

Artificial turf surfaces statistically cause more severe lower body and overall contact injuries because there is no natural shock absorption. 

On grass, the ground absorbs the impact more than a concrete-based turf surface can. The tire pellets can only do so much.

"It needs to change immediately," Amazon analyst and NFLPA vice president Richard Sherman said during the show. "The league champions player safety. And when there's clear evidence of a playing surface being dangerous—there's nine more serious injuries on this surface than even other turfs—like, you need to change it now. You get on it immediately. There has been 15-18 more injuries just this season. So the data that they compiled hasn't included this season. … As a player, there's no reason for that kind of risk. These are outdoor stadiums. … They can change that. The indoor stadiums, cool, there's an argument there. But when you can change the surface, it should be grass. … Player safety is non-negotiable."

What's not negotiable for NFL owners, especially in small markets, is losing revenue. Artificial turf is much easier to maintain than grass and allows for more flexible event scheduling to use expensive stadiums for events outside of football.

"If you think about it, isn't it just the inconsistency that every single turf is different?" Amazon analyst and former Bengals lineman Andrew Whitworth said in response. "I mean you're already saying that we're not on the same page because how as a league do you know what's good turf if every one of your stadiums has different kinds of turf? So, y'all can't even agree on what the right kind of turf to put on the ground is. So to me you'd at least want to see - if you're gonna use turf, there's one uniform turf that we are saying is healthy and it's safer and whatever. But I don't think that's gonna happen. … I don't know if there's really a great answer other than we all know players who play the game like to play on grass. I feel like that's a pretty good argument."

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