NFLPA president calls for all teams to use grass fields

NFL Players Association president JC Tretter is calling for NFL teams that use turf fields to change all field surfaces to natural grass to reduce the risk of injury to players. 

Tretter, who is the starting center for the Cleveland Browns, wrote in a letter that players have a 28% higher chance of noncontact lower extremity injuries when playing on an artificial surface compared to grass, according to ESPN's Jake Trotter. 

The 29-year-old from Ohio added that the rate is even higher for noncontact knee injuries at 32% and noncontact foot and ankle injuries at 69% on turf versus natural grass. 

Tretter's said during a conference call with reporters:

"The data stands out. Those numbers are staggering, the difference in injury rate between turf and natural grass. It's possible to get grass in every location, and it's about pushing for that. We all should be working toward the safest style of play. We know the dangers of playing on turf. That's not good for anybody. It's not good for players. It's not good for the GMs and the head coaches. It's not good for the owners. It's not good for the fans. Increased injuries isn't good for anybody."

Currently, 13 NFL stadiums use artificial turf, including MetLife Stadium, where numerous players have been injured this season. 

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and his players were concerned about the surface at MetLife Stadium after a number of the team's players suffered injuries. Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Jordan Reed, Mark Nzeocha, Dre Greenlaw, Jimmy Garoppolo and Raheem Mostert were among the San Francisco players to suffer injuries at MetLife in back-to-back weeks against the New York Jets and Giants. 

Giants running back Saquon Barkley also tore his ACL while playing at the stadium, and a numerous other players suffered season-ending injuries on turf fields.

Tretter attributed the data in his letter to injury data collected from 2012 to 2018 and also called for fields to be tested more adequately. Field surfaces currently are tested for hardness but not for performance and safety, Tretter says.