Commanders' Tyler Larsen Injury Re-Ignites 'Turf Wars' Debate

Originally posted on FanNation Washington Football
By Adam Schultz | Last updated 12/8/22

Injuries are a part of football, and the Washington Commanders have been hit harder than most.

Against the New York Giants last weekend, Commanders center Tyler Larsen dislocated his kneecap.

The 20-20 tie that moved Washington to 7-5-1 was made that bit worse with the news of Larsen's injury. Larsen is the fourth center to start for the Commanders, and as the debate of field surface comes up again, Larsen took to his Twitter account to plant his flag in the ground.

The field surface debate has been taken up a notch, with several players being ruled out for the season, seemingly over inoccucious incidents. Giants receiving duo Wan'dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard spring to mind after both suffered ACL injuries on the synthetic turf at MetLife Stadium.

There have been growing calls for the NFL to make all stadium's grass as several players have been rather vocal about player safety, and Larsen is the latest.

Buffalo Bills star Von Miller suffered an ACL injury on the Slit Film turf at Ford Field, while the season prior, cornerback Tre'Davious White suffered the same outcome on the same field.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary suffered an ACL injury at Ford Field too, and Chicago Bears star Eddie Jackson suffered a Lisfranc injury on the turf at MetLife Stadium. The list goes on.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has called turf fields "crappy" and his teammate Nick Bosa took to Twitter to bring light to the issue as well.

The noise surrounding the turf vs. grass issue is starting to get louder for the NFL, and it is going to get to a point where something has to be done about it. We just hope that no more players suffer season-ending injuries before a change is made.

This article first appeared on FanNation Washington Football and was syndicated with permission.

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