George Kittle wants NFL to get rid of “crappy turf” fields

Posted by Josh Alper on October 10, 2022, 10:26 AM EDT
San Francisco 49ers v Carolina Panthers
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After the 49ers saw a number of players injured in a game at MetLife Stadium in 2020, there were complaints about the quality of the turf field.

The 49ers saw several players get hurt in this Sunday’s road win over the Panthers and that led to more discussion about turf fields after the game. Tight end George Kittle said that the turf at Bank of America Stadium is “OK,” but said he doesn’t understand why the league does not do more to ensure consistent playing surfaces from stadium to stadium.

“The thing that just confuses me is if you’re not going to mandate grass, then why aren’t turf fields the exact same turf so guys get used to playing on the same turf everywhere? But every field has a different turf,” Kittle said, via Tristi Rodriguez of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “And so you’re playing on a different surface.  NBA guys don’t play on different wood, what are we doing? Hockey guys don’t play on different ices all the time. It’s ice. So I just wish we played on a surface that was similar every single week in, week out so your body won’t just be dealing with different, crappy turf.”

The 49ers will be back on turf in Atlanta next weekend and they’ll be hoping that playing on that surface doesn’t result in the same number of injuries.

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21 responses to “George Kittle wants NFL to get rid of “crappy turf” fields”

  1. Every field should be natural grass. No reason not to. Too many injuries. Owners need to do a better job of protecting their investment.

  4. Basketball floors vary widely in types of wood, and each floor plays differently. The ice plays differently from arena to arena.

    Kittle needs to stick with what he knows, assuming that is anything.

  7. Yeah that argument doesn’t ring true. Ice arenas vary quite a bit. It takes much different prep for Florida vs Canada rinks, they won’t be nearly the same. Plus hockey plays some games outdoors. Soccer plays turf and grass. Golf has a dozen different types of grass. Basketball has hardwood floors but none are exactly the same. They complain about the surfaces and injuries but if they were so bad how would the home team even have a roster by year end? You want all grass fine. But don’t complain when it rains that it’s too slippery and muddy.

  8. I mean if they can have grass in Green Bay during the winter months, I think all outdoor stadiums can do the same. Some indoor stadiums can do real grass but if not then they should have the same turf.

  10. If the Raiders can figure out how to roll in a grass field every game, different from the artificial one UNLV uses, while playing in the middle of the desert, the rest of the league should be able to do so as well. The field in London on Sunday looked terrible.

  11. doesnt come into play often, but why are they playing college games in nfl stadiums on saturday then playing games there sunday

  13. Kittle is 100% right.

    Only the garbage time Raiders team can build a brand new indoor stadium and the turf is worse than Soldier Field.

  14. Football was meant to be played on grass. Who wants to be tackled on turf, which must feel like concrete by comparison?

  15. Turf is far from perfect but be careful what you wish for. Not even grass is grass.

    Depending on the region you’ll get ryegrass or bluegrass, it grows best in full sun (not the shade of a massive stadium), and it hasn’t been that long since the fields were heated, not frozen solid for northern division teams in the winter. It’s the only reason I can think of for anyone was ever willing to play on those lime green carpeted concrete floors.

  17. Michael E says:
    “I played in worse condition in pee wee and none of us boys cried about it”.

    That is like saying “Well there are potholes on my dive to work, so why does NASCAR and NHRA needed prepped tracks”?

  18. Michael E says:
    October 10, 2022 at 11:37 am
    I played in worse condition in pee wee and none of us boys cried about it.
    ———
    You also did not have your livelihood at stake in pee wee

  20. Someone needs to show Hoosier to Kettle, make him measure the goal line, he field, and the goals. All the same measurements. It would be impossible to make every strand of grass the exact same. We live in different climates. One place it rains, the other place it doesn’t and now the field is different, could be across town, could be another state.

  21. Street Clothes Kittle has a great point. Every field should be grass. At minimum, they should install grass on the sidelines so he doesn’t further injure himself when he watching his team mates play.

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