NFL Players Push for Grass as League Cites Data to Defend Turf
AI-generated image · US National Wire
The NFLPA is calling for a league-wide shift to natural grass, citing injury risks, while the NFL maintains that modern turf is safe and more cost-effective.
As CBS Sports first reported, a growing movement led by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) is urging the NFL to mandate natural grass in all stadiums, arguing that the feasibility of such a shift was demonstrated by venues hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. According to CBS Sports, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle estimated this summer that 90% of players prefer grass, suggesting the league could adopt the surfaces if team owners prioritized the request.
Player preference is rooted primarily in safety. CBS Sports reports that NFLPA executive director JC Tretter cited league injury data from 2012-18 in a 2020 argument, which showed non-contact lower extremity injuries were 28% higher on turf than on grass. That specific data set indicated that turf saw 32% more non-contact knee injuries and 69% more foot/ankle injuries over that seven-year period. Players further claim that turf increases force on the legs, leading to increased soreness and longer recovery times.
Some owners have already embraced natural grass. Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last weekend that he viewed grass as the only option for his new stadium, citing safety and a lifelong preference for the surface. Davis demonstrated that league-approved grass can be maintained in a desert environment and within an indoor stadium. CBS Sports notes that the Arizona Cardinals have utilized a similar retractable field tray system for two decades.
However, the NFL disputes the claim that turf increases injury risk. NFL field director Nick Pappas stated on The Dan Patrick Show that the league no longer views this as an injury issue, noting that when examining the severity of injuries—such as ACL tears and extended time-loss injuries—the rate is a split between grass and turf. The league has pointed to 2021 and 2025 as years where injury rates across both surfaces were nearly identical.
CBS Sports reports that the NFLPA challenged this stance in 2023, claiming the league's data is cherry-picked and that the 2021 figures were an outlier. The NFLPA asserts that non-contact injuries occurred at a higher rate on turf in each of the nine years prior to 2021 and that the rate increased again the following year.
Despite the player push, the NFL prefers artificial turf due to lower maintenance costs and the ability to host various non-football events more easily. Rather than converting the remaining 14 or 15 stadiums to grass, Pappas said the league is focusing on innovation to make turf feel more like grass regarding energy return and surface hardness.
With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire after the 2030 season, CBS Sports suggests the dispute over playing surfaces could become a primary sticking point in future negotiations.