Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward believes that the significant knee injury suffered by All-Pro special teamer Miles Killebrew on Sunday was caused by the poor turf conditions at Acrisure Stadium.
Killebrew was injured while covering a kickoff in the second quarter of the Steelers’ 23-9 win over the Browns on Sunday.
While running down the middle of the grass field, which showed significant wear and tear on Sunday, Killebrew was blocked from his left side by Cleveland safety Rayshawn Jenkins. As he was passing behind another Cleveland player, his right leg gave way.
Killebrew limped to the sideline with help from team trainers and was taken from the field on a cart. He did not return to the game, and head coach Mike Tomlin called his knee injury “significant.”
Killebrew has already been ruled out for the team’s Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, and could have an extended absence. The Steelers hosted free agent safety and special teamer George Odum for a visit on Tuesday.
Several players complained about the field conditions in the aftermath of Sunday’s game, most notably quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who called it “borderline unplayable.” Tomlin acknowledged that the conditions were “poor” when he spoke on Monday.
But Heyward was the first to publicly make the connection between the field conditions and Killebrew’s injury.
“Honestly, it was shit,” Heyward said on Tuesday. “I lost one of my teammates and that makes me sad about it.”
Heyward is the Steelers’ NFLPA union rep and a member of the executive committee. The player’s association has relentlessly advocated for grass fields over turf, citing increased player safety on the natural playing surface.
“I like grass, but that wasn’t grass we played on,” Heyward said.
In addition to Killebrew’s injury, the turf also caused Steelers kicker Chris Boswell to slip on his final kick attempt, and the team was fortunate that he escaped injury when he did so.
The Steelers have already begun the process of replacing that particular grass field, which had been previously scheduled to take place this weekend, without a game being played at Acrisure Stadium. Seven games were played on that surface. The first game on the new field will be Saturday, Oct. 25, when Pitt hosts NC State. The Steelers will play the next day, on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.
That turf field will also see the Steelers host the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 2, Pitt play Notre Dame on Nov. 15, and the Steelers face the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 16 before hosting four WPIAL championship games on Nov. 22. The field is usually re-sodded again at that point, after which there will be just one Pitt game and three Steelers regular season games.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Cam Heyward Blames Acrisure Stadium Field for Major Steelers Injury
