Jesse Trater, president of the NFL Players Association, is urging NFL teams to turn all field surfaces into natural grass to reduce the risk of injury to players.
The non-contact lower limb injury rate of players when playing on artificial grasses is 28% higher than the grass, the Crawland Browns early center, Traitor, wrote in a newsletter. Trater, NFL from 2012 to 2018. Citing injury data, he added that the rate is higher for non-contact knee injuries (32%) and non-contact foot and ankle injuries (69%) than for grass.
“These data are clear,” Trater said during a video conference with the media on Wednesday. “Those numbers are amazing, the difference in injury rate between turf and natural grass. It’s possible to get grass everywhere, and that’s the push. We should all work towards a safe style of play. We know the dangers we know. Playing on turf.It is not good for anyone.It is not good for players.It is not good for GM and head coach.It is not good for owners.It is not good for fans.Growing injuries is not good for anyone.
“Unless we can find a way to get artificial water to react and react like natural grass, it’s very risky to continue playing and expect different results.”
Currently, 13 NFL stadiums use artificial turf.
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his players expressed concern about the turf at MetLife Stadium, where the Ninars recently lost several players to injuries, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and defensive end Nick Bosa. MetLife is home to the Jets and Giants.
Trater said a “committee of engineers” has been tasked with inspecting the area’s surfaces. Trater also advocated better practices for surface testing, noting that the Cleg Impact Tester currently used by the League measures surface hardness, “but not for performance and safety.”
He said teams should not use climate or indoor stadiums as an excuse not to implement grass, as cold weather teams, including the Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, use grass, and the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Riders have indoor playing. Although natural grass.
“The safety of the players will always be a priority for us and the union,” Trater said. “… that’s something we need to prioritize here.”
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