We noted yesterday that the FieldTurf at the New Meadowlands Stadium may be to blame for the torn ACL suffered by Giants receiver Domenik Hixon on Tuesday. Now a couple of Hixon’s teammates have come forward to say the new turf doesn’t feel right.
Giants safety Antrel Rolle and wide receiver Steve Smith both told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com that they think the FieldTurf contributed to Hixon’s injury.
“I was right there when it happened and I saw it right away,” Rolle said. “And I was like, ‘Damn, it don’t look good.’ He didn’t make a cut or anything. It just got caught in the turf.”
Smith said the new FieldTurf at the new stadium feels different from FieldTurf at other stadiums, like it hasn’t been completely broken in yet.
“I thought it was real slippery,” Smith said. “We were all slipping and stuff. Hopefully it settles in when more people do stuff on it.”
Chip Namias, a spokesman for FieldTurf, acknowledged to ESPNNewYork.com that it typically takes a few weeks for FieldTurf to settle in. But Giants General Manager Jerry Reese said he doesn’t think the FieldTurf caused the injury.
But whether FieldTurf was to blame or whether Hixon was just unlucky and could have suffered his injury on any surface, this is something the players’ union should make an issue of: There’s nothing more important to any labor union than safe working conditions for its members, and some NFL Players’ Association members believe the working conditions at the new Giants and Jets stadium are less than ideal.
GREAT! 😦 Who’s going to be our speedy deep threat who can’t catch the ball now?
All artificial surfaces should be banned.
The NFL can afford to have grass and not have players injured on crappy fake surfaces.
Cue all the idiots with their comments about how much safer natural grass is. How about you ask Wes Welker about that?
And what would you have the union do about it? Refuse to allow their members to play on it? Because two players who know absolutely zero about turf technology think turf caused this injury?
Rolle’s comment doesn’t even make sense. Hixon’s foot got caught because the turf was too slippery? WTF?
Of course the injury happened because his foot got caught. That’s how lots of knee injuries happen- in all conditions on all kinds of turf.
If I was an NFL player, with everything going on right now, the last thing I want my union worrying about is Field Turf.
yeah that would blow…this is also going to hurt the WR layout now in NY. Everyone will be able to double team Smith and man up on Manningham now.
+1 what’s wrong with grass??
Not everyone can have a stadium like the Cowboys have
what about the turf in shittsburgh? that place sucks balls….
“what about the turf in shittsburgh? that place sucks balls…. ”
I think they just mismanage events there. That field is a hybrid artificial grass/real grass surface and they use the same thing in GB and it’s always pristine. Yeah, turf is probably more dangerous than a well kept grass field but it’s not going away
After October, the “pristine” field in Green Bay is green spray-painted dirt.
Grass becomes dormant (i.e., brown) when the surface temperature goes below 43 degrees, and the underground heating element can do nothing to save the grass itself — it just prevents the soil from freezing.
Field turf is the best surface going. Just ask the players.
T.O. can be signed for a bargain price.
Artificial surface gets a bad rap in my opinion. You have injuries occur on all sorts of surfaces. If there is an injury on grass, no one goes, “man, that grass is bad surface.” But if it happens on turf or something similar, everyone screams that it’s the surfaces fault. I’d love to see a graph on injuries on natural grass vs other surfaces.
The higher incidents of injuries on Field Turf has been documented.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35829956/ns/sports-nfl/
From 2002 to 2008 ACL injuries were 88% more likely on Field Turf. Ankle Sprains were 32 % more likely.
PFT brought you the stats story on or about March 12, 2010.
I like Hixon, but the only real loss to the Giants is on special teams where he was a dangerous returner on those rare occasions when they blocked for him. As for WR, he is probably our #5 this year so no biggie. Hope he can get some $ out of Field Turf–what kind of BS is that–“It does take a while for the turf to get broken in.”
TheOne says: “Everyone will be able to double team Smith and man up on Manningham now.”
Guess you didn’t watch any Giants games last year. Hixon was, at best, going to be the fourth WR. Remember Hakeem Nicks? The reality is Hixon is a loss on special teams only. He was unreliable as a WR, Barden is most likely going to take over the fourth spot and, as of now, the coaching staff loves Tim Brown, so, barring an injury to the aforementioned WRs, Hixon would have had a tough time getting on the field at all except on special teams. Hixon will be sorely missed there, because Sinorice Moss is awful. I’m hoping Tim Brown will end up being the return man. He may be real short, but he has to be better than Moss. Albert Haynesworth would be a better return man than Moss.
The Giants shoudl have let the Jets break in the field. Rex Ryan could probably have broke it in alone with his mouth.