New York Jets fans are in a strange place right now. Despite starting their season with a huge home victory against their divisional rival Buffalo Bills, they lost starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers to what seems to be a long-term injury according to reports. Rodgers’ former teammate David Bakhtiari gave his thoughts on X (Twitter):
Congrats @nfl. How many more players have to get hurt on ARTIFICIAL TURF??! You care more about soccer players than us. You plan to remove all artificial turf for the World Cup coming up. So clearly it’s feasible.
I’m sick of this..Do better!— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) September 12, 2023
Bakhtiari spent the last 10 seasons protecting Rodgers’ blindside on the offensive line for the Green Bay Packers and was not happy to see his former teammate go down with what seems to be a catastrophic and potentially career-threatening injury.
“How many more players have to get hurt on ARTIFICIAL TURF??!?” Asked Bakhtiari. He went on to say “I’m sick of this… Do better!”
Bakhtiari is just one of several players who have voiced their concerns over the use of artificial turf on NFL fields. MetLife Stadium (home field of the New York Jets and Giants) recently implemented a new artificial turf this offseason with the hopes of reducing injury risk, which doesn’t seem to have fixed the problem.
Nearly half of the stadiums in the NFL employ artificial turf instead of grass, and several players have sustained long-term injuries due to the decision to have turf rather than grass. The firmness (or lack thereof) of the turf can put a player in harm’s way, which is why so many have called for the ban of artificial turf in stadiums.
It remains to be seen when/if the NFL will force stadiums to play on real grass. Until then, players are going to have to be extra cautious on fields with artificial turf to avoid potential injuries.
