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The plea by NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd
Howell came two days after Rodgers' much-anticipated debut with
the Jets came to a quick end when the 39-year-old quarterback
tore his Achilles on the team's fourth play from scrimmage in
their season opener.
Howell, who took over as NFLPA executive director in June, said
in a statement that players overwhelmingly prefer playing on
grass and that the issue of surfaces has been near the top of
the players' minds during his team visits.
"While we know there is an investment to making this change,
there is a bigger cost to everyone in our business if we keep
losing our best players to unnecessary injuries," said Howell.
"It makes no sense that stadiums can flip over to superior grass
surfaces when the World Cup comes, or soccer clubs come to visit
for exhibition games in the summer, but inferior artificial
surfaces are acceptable for our own players."
The NFLPA this year released data showing non-contact injuries
were more common on artificial turf compared to grass fields
during the 2022 NFL regular season.
Rodgers was hurt while getting twisted up awkwardly on a sack,
and Jets head coach Robert Saleh said he did not feel the
playing surface caused the injury, adding "if it was a
non-contact injury, I think that'd be something to discuss,
obviously."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
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