NFL reacts to complaints about turf fields after Aaron Rodgers' injury

Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season left a lot to talk about, but perhaps the biggest talking point has to do with Aaron Rodgers suffering a season-ending injury in his first drive with the New York Jets.

The veteran quarterback was only having his fourth snap in the Monday Night Football game against the Buffalo Bills when he tore his left Achilles tendon in an attempt to get out of the pocket.

Many blamed the fact that MetLife Stadium has turf instead of grass as the reason behind Rodgers’ injury, with NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell calling for grass fields in all NFL stadiums. Commissioner Roger Goodell, however, claims that some players actually prefer turf over grass.

Roger Goodell responds to NFLPA’s call for grass fields

“You have other players who like playing on the turf field, because it’s faster. So you’ve got mixed opinions,” Goodell said in an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

“What we want to go on is science, we want to go on what’s the best from an injury standpoint … That’s how we make decisions, not because I see an injury that I don’t like. Ultimately, I want our experts to come back and give it to us.”

How many NFL stadiums have grass?

16 NFL stadiums have natural grass, while games on the other 14 stadiums are played on artificial turf.