David Bakhtiari, Breece Hall among players to call out MetLife turf field after Aaron Rodgers injury

Going from Green Bay to New York, there were going to be a number of changes in store for Aaron Rodgers this season. One of those differences was playing more often on the artificial turf at MetLife Stadium rather than natural grass at Lambeau Field. 

Rodgers may have found that distinction between artificial vs. grass in horrific fashion, as the four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion suffered a torn Achilles just four plays into his Jets debut Monday.

While the main concern was the health and status of the newest Jets quarterback, by the end of the Jets' 22-16 OT win over the Bills, the conversation had shifted to the on-field conditions. A number of Rodgers' current and former teammates called out the artificial turf at MetLife Stadium as the reason for the injury. 

MORE: How long is Aaron Rodgers out?

Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, who played with Rodgers for 10 seasons in Green Bay, was the first one to blast the NFL for its refusal to address the issues with artificial turf. 

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

After the game, Jets players were asked about their thoughts on the artificial turf in East Rutherford, N.J. While some were more measured in their responses, others, like Breece Hall and Randall Cobb, didn't hold back. 

We asked a bunch of Jets/Bills players about the turf at MetLife since it has a history of issues. New turf was put down before this season. RB Breece Hall who had a productive night, had the best answer.
“Grass. That’s my answer. We want grass”

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) September 12, 2023

"Grass. That’s my answer," Hall said. "We want grass."

"We wanted the NFL to protect the players with grass fields, but the NFL is more worried about making money," Cobb said. "Profit over people, it’s always been the case. I’ve never been a fan of turf. That’s my stance."

D.J. Reed echoed his teammates with a tweet Tuesday morning, calling for real grass to be put in every NFL venue.  

We need real grass for all of our stadiums @NFL.

— DJ Reed (@D7_Reed) September 12, 2023

It's unclear whether Rodgers' injury was a direct result of the playing surface. Football injury expert David Chao went on the Pat McAfee show Tuesday and said that "grass overall is safer than turf but I don't think it was the number one factor in Aaron's injury."

"It could be a contributing factor but I don't think it was the number one factor."

"Grass overall is safer than turf but I don't think it was the number one factor in Aaron's injury..

It could be a contributing factor but I don't think it was the number one factor" @ProFootballDoc #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/KajRziu7bm

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 12, 2023

It was not a non-contact injury, as he was being wrapped up by Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd. But new turf was added to MetLife this season, something to at least consider. 

MORE: Jets Super Bowl odds plummet after Aaron Rodgers suffers Achilles injury

At the very least, the conversation about turf vs. grass is once again in the national spotlight, as the league and its players continue to fail to see eye-to-eye on the subject. 

Turf vs. grass injuries

Turf vs. grass has been an ongoing conversation in the NFL over the last couple of seasons, as the players have voiced a strong opinion against the artificial surface because of the increase in injuries. 

Last year, NFLPA president JC Tretter sent a letter to the league detailing the players' thoughts on artificial turf vs. real grass and the impact that each surface has.

"The NFL and its experts have agreed with this data and acknowledge that the slit film field is less safe," Tretter wrote. "Player leadership wrote a letter to the NFL this week demanding the immediate removal of these fields and a ban on them going forward, both in stadiums and for practice fields.

"The NFL has not only refused to mandate this change immediately, but they have also refused to commit to mandating a change away from slit film in the future at all."

He claimed that while the NFL recognized the differences in injuries, the league was not going to address the issue, as it felt the data in 2021 showed that no action was needed. 

"Instead of following the long-term data (which is clear on this issue), listening to players and making the game safer," Tretter said in his letter. "The NFL used an outlier year to engage in a PR campaign to convince everyone that the problem doesn't actually exist. In short, last year, the gap — much like the NFL's credibility with players on this issue — was as wide as it has ever been, proving that (as the NFLPA suspected) 2021 was in fact an outlier. Now, 10 of the previous 11 years show the same exact thing — grass is a significantly safer surface than turf."

The data in reference can be seen below, as Bakhtiari tweeted out the graphs that show that turf causes more non-contact injuries to players than grass. 

https://t.co/IcYMu16gSo pic.twitter.com/5PnNjzog7o

— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) September 12, 2023

How many NFL stadiums have artificial grass? 

There are 30 NFL stadiums, and it's split exactly 50-50 between turf and grass. There are 15 stadiums that use real grass for their fields, while the other 15 use artificial grass. 

Here is a breakdown of the stadiums and what each facility uses: