NFLPA: Lions Played on Unsafe Field against Panthers

The NFLPA released findings from field conditions in Lions' Week 16 game.

The Detroit Lions weren't quiet about their concerns following a Week 16 matchup with the Carolina Panthers. After a 37-23 loss, several players voiced their opinions on the safety of the playing surface. 

“That was the most concrete field I’ve ever been on in my whole life,” Aidan Hutchinson said at the time. “I didn’t think that was actually legal to play on. Warming up, you’re trying to turn the corner, and literally in warmups, I fell in my first one-on-one rep right on my face." 

“Yeah, that field was tough,” center Frank Ragnow added, via MLive. “I don’t want to make excuses, but it was pretty hard, man. It’s tough to brace with the toe and everything. It was tough.”

Months later, the NFL Players Association has announced that the field was, in fact, deemed unsafe to play on. 

In a report outlining the differences in playing field surfaces, NFLPA president J.C. Tretter explained that the turf at Bank of America Stadium was not up to standards set by the league. 

Currently, the NFL has the 'Clegg' Test to determine field safety. The test measures a field's hardness, in terms of units of gravity. In order to pass the test, Tretter explained that the field must measure below 100g. 

The surface during the Lions-Panthers game on Christmas Eve was well above the established standard. 

"Last year on Christmas Eve, Carolina’s field failed the Clegg test," Tretter wrote. "For a surface to pass this test, it must measure below 100g (units of gravities), and the meter for this test goes up to a maximum of 150g. When the field in Carolina was tested during the pregame check, it came back as -- you guessed it -- 150g."

The NFLPA president later explained that players reached out to the organization voicing concerns. However, the league did not take action. This frustrated the player's association. 

"However, instead of delaying the game or finding another way to fix the issue, the league gave the green light to kick off the game as scheduled," Tretter outlined in his report. "Afterward, the league told us that late in the first half, the field finally did fall below the 100g max. But the fact remains that the players in that game had to play on a field that the league acknowledges was not safe. That is beyond frustrating to players and unacceptable in the eyes of our union."

Lions' linebacker Alex Anzalone also voiced his opinion on social media. 

Never played on a surface that bad in my whole life https://t.co/Pter7boxsM

— Alex Anzalone (@AlexAnzalone34) April 20, 2023

The report also explained a larger issue within the NFL. The safety of playing on grass versus synthetic surfaces has been debated. In his report, Tretter explained that research shows grass is safer. 

"As much as the NFL wants to ignore the grass field issue, the data and their actions will continue to demonstrate their callous hypocrisy," he wrote. 

The Lions have changed their playing surface heading into the 2023 season. In switching from slit-film to a monofilament surface, the organization is hoping to ease injury concerns.