Turf returns to NFL after World Cup gets real grass

Well, 48 hours after the World Cup ended, crews are getting to work ripping out the grass fields installed by FIFA to the dismay of many NFL stars. KTVU's Bailey O'Carroll joins us in studio now. And Bailey, as we approach NFL season, the players have been very vocal about the return of turf. Claudine, turf versus grass is an age-old debate in the NFL. For years, the NFL Players Association has called for all NFL playing surfaces to be real grass. NFL owners have long said it's too expensive. On Sunday, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle posted a selfie from the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, requesting the NFL keep FIFA's grass. Other NFL stars following suit, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, New York Jets running back Brees Hall, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelsey, and his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelsey, both chimed in on their podcast, New Heights. NFL games should be played on grass fields. Take care of your players, man. It is a joke. I hate playing on turf. I think it's silly. The ground's harder when you hit it. Dr. Rick Lehman, the director for the U.S. Center of Sports Medicine and an orthopedic surgeon to some of the NFL's biggest stars, told me the science is clear. Playing on grass reduces the risk of injury. In the studies, what happens is when you stop or you decelerate on grass, and you've been on grass, right? It gives a little bit. And so what happens is the cleats, they hold, they stick, but there's a little bit of shift and a little bit of give because there's dirt, and then the grass has a little bit of flexibility. When you do the same thing on turf, your foot stops, nothing happens, right? Your shoe is stuck. It's not giving, it's not going anywhere. There's no flexibility. And, you know, it's like Velcro. You're just stuck in there. Well, something has to give. And what gives is generally your ACL. Dr. Lehman said he first started seeing an increase in turf injuries in indoor soccer in 1986. He told me it was baffling that four decades later with a known fix, turf is still used. Former NFL groundskeeper, Jordan Ashay, told me growing grass is a science. Ground crew staffs, even at the NFL level, don't have an unlimited budget. Ashay said growing grass with the proper resources is more than possible. Keeping FIFA grass and using it in the NFL, that isn't that simple. Soccer field's a different field than American football field in terms of what it needs. And if you want to specify something specifically toward like that sport, then it goes back to like the installation process. If you have a grass tailored specifically, or if you have a grass field tailored specifically for soccer, it's more than likely it's gonna be too soft for the NFL players. That's when you might get more injuries. And the grass probably wouldn't be able to handle the season as well. Dr. Lehman tells me he estimates injuries he's seen and treated would be reduced by 20% if the NFL didn't play on turf. Well, 20% is a lot, Bailey. And so you have, even if it's not the FIFA grass, you could have a different kind of grass on there. I guess, is there any indication that while this has been a long time conversation, that at this point in the conversation, the NFL is listening or open to listening? I think the NFL has been listening for years. This request is not new. I think it'll all come down to how much the NFL Players Association is willing to stick their feet in the ground and say, we're not gonna budge on this. This is an issue that we're not gonna play if it's on turf. We want real grass, end of story. Well, certainly the players are getting more and more vocal, especially after this summer of another kind of football. All right, thank you, Bailey.