Devin McCourty and the NFLPA have worked together plenty of times in McCourty’s NFL career by the nature of the business with McCourty as a player needing to follow the NFLPA’s direction at times.
However, since McCourty’s retirement, the two have had to go out of their way to interact. McCourty’s recent statement enticed the NFLPA to do just that in regard to his opinion on the turf vs conventional grass field argument. On Thursday, the NFLPA responded to a Tuesday video clip in which McCourty spoke about the turf issue.
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McCourty’s statement underlined how many players felt about the turf issue and why ownership has continued to deny players.
“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 it feels not adequate enough for these soccer players to get on the field, then you know you’re about to go back and play on this field time and time again, watch guys get hurt on it” he said.
“Most of the coaches want grass fields,” he added. “When I was in New England, we used to talk and have this conversation with Bill (Belichick). … the owners don’t want to pay for the upkeep of a grass field. They want to have all of these offseason events at their stadium.”
The NFLPA’s response hinted that more negotiation and action from the organization could come in the future, as the issue continues to receive attention from the former New England Patriots star and many other figures in the media.
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NFL fans react to Devin McCourty’s turf callout
NFL fans appeared to largely side with Devin McCourty. Some fans called out the NFLPA for failing to move every stadium to grass, while others merely sided against the owners who have failed to provide grass.
“I’ve never understood why NFL owners don’t understand the investment into grass. You don’t want to invest 5-10 mil on grass, ok … your 50 million dollar investment just tore his ACL on your s**t turf,” one posted.
“Football is meant to be played on grass. No reason for turf when NFL owner have the ability & money to maintain a grass field,” another argued.
“Agree 100%,” another echoed.
More fans sided with Devin McCourty and the players, with seemingly everyone siding against ownership and/or pressuring the NFLPA to make more efforts to make grass mandatory.
“Exactly!” another echoed.
“The fact that every NFL team isn’t required to have grass is wild. NFLPA should force it. MLB stadiums have grass and still host concerts etc. Give the best, the best,” one posted.
“We’re all looking at the NFLPA and wondering when they’ll rep the players on this issue,” another replied.
Of course, the conversation isn’t a new one. The issue of turf vs grass has followed the NFL for quite some time, with many pointing to it as the culprit for many injuries, including perhaps most famously, Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles tear in 2023.
Will the NFL become a grass-only league in the coming years, or will players from the New York Jets to the Los Angeles Rams continue to be subjected to the artificial surface?
Edited by Ian Van Roy