J.C Tretter: ‘Only Natural Grass Can Level The NFL’s Playing Field’

Questions are raising about field surfaces with the recent spike in injuries, many on artificial turf. NFLPA President J.C. Tretter dives into it.

The San Francisco 49ers had to play back-to-back games against the New York Jets and the New York Giants. Sure, it was two wins for them as they are the much superior team to those two, the effects were still felt though. Both of the New York teams play at MetLife Stadium. MetLife is an artificial turf field, one many believe didn’t help the number of injuries the Niners’ came across in the last couple weeks, including the season ending injuries.

NFL investigated the field, found nothing to be wrong with it. This did not change how the players or coaches felt. NFL Players Association President J.C. Tretter discussed how the inspection is a flawed process.

“It’s true that NFL-NFLPA inspectors evaluate practice and game fields through the Clegg test, which measures the hardness of the surface. The Clegg test, however, is extremely limited in its ability to tell us about the performance or safety of a field and is not nearly as comprehensive for what the modern game requires.”

So, basically all teams can really find out is how hard the field is, it helps some - there is more to it though. With the recent spike in injuries there will undoubtedly be new ways to tests field surfaces before to long. Tests that let you know how safe it is to cut on a route, dig in and more.

Tretter said, “as a rookie learning the ins and outs of being a professional football player, I remember the collective groan that my older teammates made whenever it was announced that we’d be practicing indoors on artificial turf instead of the usual outdoor grass field”. The center was used to playing on turf fields in college, so he never thought much of it. Once he began noticing the difference between natural grass fields and turf fields, he understood why his teammates despised it. Whenever he would practice on artificial surfaces, his joints were noticeably stiffer the following day.

Tretter broke it down, the best way it can be on why the natural surfaces are much safer.

“Professional football players put extremely high levels of force and rotation onto the playing surface. Grass will eventually give, which often releases the cleat prior to reaching an injurious load. On synthetic surfaces, there is less give, meaning our feet, ankles and knees absorb the force, which makes injury more likely to follow.”

Tretter closed things out by saying, “the NFLPA is advocating for teams to convert artificial practice and game fields to natural grass fields. In the meantime, we’re fighting on behalf of our players to develop better safety standards and testing methods for artificial turf.”

Tretter, the leader and speaker for the players across the league is attempting to make the game as safe as it can be. Maybe, eventually all fields can be grass instead of turf. There are indoor fields that are still natural such as the ones the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders play on. And fields can be kept up with in the cold as seen in Cleveland. At the end of the day, you would think owners and front offices want nothing more than their teams to be healthy, it gives them the best chance of winning.