NFLPA boss weighs in on 49ers' practice field controversy

The San Francisco 49ers aren't happy with their practice facilities for Super Bowl 58 at UNLV, and neither is the NFLPA.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell confirmed as such during its 'state of the union' press conference on Wednesday.

Howell said the field at UNLV, which had grass laid over the original field turf, "really isn’t up to snuff for what our players deserve".

He added: "Hopefully we’ve gotten to a workable condition, but the mere fact that you’re asking the question in our biggest event means that this is an issue."

Howell's comments run contrary to the opinion of the league, with Roger Goodell insisting the field is playable despite the Niners' complaints that it is too soft.

But NFLPA president J.C. Tretter hit back at that assessment.

"Playable is not the same standard as high quality," said Tretter. "That’s not what we should be doing... We want high quality surfaces to play on and practice on, and we don’t have that down there."

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan for his part said this week he was "not worried at all" about the field despite the team's unhappiness with it, and the 49ers did hold practice as planned at UNLV on Wednesday.

Still, from a league-wide perspective, there is an obvious disconnect on what the NFL views as acceptable field conditions and what the union set up to protect its players wants them to be working on.