Only days after Bears chairman George McCaskey explained that the team’s uses grass at Soldier Field because it’s safer than artificial turf, the Bears were forced to abruptly cancel an annual Family Fest practice at Soldier Field, because the grass was deemed unfit.
The Chicago Tribune confirms that which Bears safety Chris Harris announced via Twitter: “Sorry to inform u fans but Family Fest has just been canceled due to inadequate playing surface to practice on.”
The decision came after fans had arrived for the event. We repeat, the decision came after fans had arrived for the event.
(Way to reconnect with the customers, NFL. What’s next? Not enough seats at the Super Bowl? . . . . Oh, wait.)
Plenty of players have complained about the quality of the grass field in the past.
“It is a disaster,” linebacker Brian Urlacher said in June. “I don’t know what else to say. We complain about it all the time. I prefer playing on grass, but the FieldTurf stuff is pretty awesome.”
The grass at Soldier Field is anything but awesome. And it’s time for the NFL to take the decision out of the hands of the Bears.
Regardless of what happens, time is of the essence. The Bears are due to host the Bills at Soldier Field in eight nights.