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Not many players seem to be fans of the turf over at Bank of America Stadium. And now, it’s very much a thing.
Last Saturday, the Carolina Panthers hosted the Detroit Lions in the coldest home game in franchise history—one that made the already not-so-desirable playing surface in Charlotte even less accommodating. Multiple Lions, in fact, went on record noting the particularly hardened and dangerous conditions they experienced in that Week 16 matchup.
As a result, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the NFLPA is now filing a grievance against the Panthers for their playing field.
NFLPA is filing a grievance against the NFL and Carolina for the hardness of the playing field in last Saturday's Lions-Panthers game, per source. The NFLPA complained before the game and said the field conductions, in the extreme cold, only worsened as the game progressed.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2023
Following the game, Detroit quarterback Jared Goff compared the turf to cement.
“I thought the field conditions were below NFL-level standard, specifically pregame,” per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “I know it warmed up a bit as the game went on, but I don’t know what the deal is here. They need to make the turf not feel like cement. I don’t know why that is. You said it was the coldest game (here), so maybe it has something to do with that. It got better as the game went on, but pregame it was in no condition to be played on. Happy guys came out of this one relatively injury free.”
Luckily, no one was seriously injured as a result of the turf. Perhaps, to the behest of owner David Tepper’s pockets, this is a step in the right direction for player safety.
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