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There has been a lot of talk about World Cup teams using grass fields in NFL stadiums, even though the NFL says injuries are the same on grass and turf. However, the NFLPA backed Devin McCourty for his “disrespectful” take on the switch from grass to turf, according to a post on X by the NFLPA.
“Every team practices usually on grass fields,” McCourty said. “They know you don’t want to practice on that turf day in and day out because of the impact it has on your body.”
McCourty and his teammates cast a wary eye at the way the soccer players were handled over a decade ago.
“I remember 2012 or 2013, Brazil or Portugal played a friendly at Gillette Stadium,” McCourty said. “It’s the most disrespectful thing as a player when you see them pouring all this dirt and putting this grass surface on top of your field. Because the field’s not adequate enough for these soccer players to get on the field. And you know you’re about to go back and play on this field, time and time again. Watch guys get hurt on it.
“Most of the coaches want grass fields. The owners don’t want to pay for the upkeep of a grass field. They want to be able in the offseason to have all of these different events at their stadium because of the turf surface. It’s very cost-efficient to have the turf surface. That’s what this all comes down to.’
The reason for the soccer demands comes from FIFA, according to the New York Post.
“For some venues, such as MetLife, that requires an entire facelift — adding a grass surface on top of artificial turf to comply with regulations established by FIFA, soccer’s governing body,” Noah Nussbaum wrote.
“Soccer is for everyone, whether you’re the kid that went to an Ivy League school or you’re the person that grew up with nothing,” CBS Sports Golazo analyst Michael Lahoud said. “And part of making a beautiful spectacle is you have to have the right field.”
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