‘Everybody should want grass’ playing surfaces, Panthers LB Thompson says
In the wake of reports that the NFL Players Association will file a grievance against the Carolina Panthers for poor field conditions, one of the franchise’s longest-tenured players is speaking up and siding with the union.
“Everybody should want grass,” linebacker Shaq Thompson said Monday. “They don’t understand how our bodies feel on that turf. (We) should go to grass.”
Thompson has spent his entire eight-year career playing at Bank of America Stadium, where the field was made of grass until mid-2021. He described what’s now a synthetic field as feeling like “concrete” during the Panthers’ Dec. 24 home game.
The NFLPA’s grievance stems from the hardness of the artificial turf at the stadium in that Christmas Eve game against the Detroit Lions.
“It was hard and (I) was slipping everywhere,” Thompson said. “Trying to cut back and there was no give out there but we got to play through it. It’s above my pay grade but I hope they listen to us players.”
Interim head coach Steve Wilks refrained from picking sides.
“I defer all those questions to facilities and maintenance,” Wilks said Monday. “That’s not my department.”
When asked about the field’s condition against the Lions, in a game Carolina won 37-23, Wilks said: “From my understanding, it was fine. Of course, I’m not out there playing.”
A team spokesperson declined to comment. Messages left for the NFLPA were not returned.
The surface at Bank of America Stadium was changed to synthetic FieldTurf as part of a $50-million facility renovation for soccer, which was completed in mid-2021. With the addition of Major League Soccer expansion team Charlotte FC and an increased number of other events at the stadium, Tepper Sports & Entertainment said it felt the switch was necessary to provide a consistent playing surface.
Meanwhile, NFL players began petitioning the league nearly a year ago to replace artificial fields with grass citing an increased injury rate while playing on turf.
Guard Austin Corbett is wrapping up his first season in Carolina. He played on grass in Cleveland to start his career and won a Super Bowl on the turf at SoFi Stadium with the Rams last season.
Corbett said Bank of America Stadium’s field was so hard he had to play with “floor shoes” usually designated for Astroturf, which the league did away with nearly two decades ago.
“It was definitely the hardest field I’ve played on,” Corbett said. “I know a lot of guys are saying the same thing.”
On Sunday, the Panthers fell 30-24 to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Though the loss still stings, Corbett said his body feels better after playing on the grass at Raymond James Stadium.
“Coming off (the game) in Tampa, it feels a lot better. Just the joints,” Corbett explained. “I understand it’s a business and they’re doing other things. Stadiums have concerts and college bowl games. ... They’ve got to make their money. I get it. (But) a player’s health and our prolonged health and safety throughout the year definitely has got to be at the forefront.”
There are options the Panthers can explore. The Baltimore Ravens, for instance, play on grass but have the outside of the field at M&T Bank Stadium lined with turf. During Charlotte FC’s scrimmage versus Chelsea on July 20, grass was installed specifically for the scrimmage as a playing stipulation by the British club.
Corbett said if European soccer leagues prioritize playing on grass then so should the NFL.
“If they’re gonna come over here and make money in our stadiums, then why can’t we (play on grass),” Corbett said. “They’re doing it for a safety thing. Our sport is significantly more violent. It seems pretty straightforward.”
According to the NFLPA, citing injury data collected from 2012 through 2018, the contact injury rate for lower extremities is higher for players during practices and games held on artificial turf. Per the study, NFL players also experienced a greater percentage of non-contact injuries while playing on artificial surfaces.
This story was originally published January 2, 2023 at 5:16 PM.
