During this past Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce suffered a non-contact ankle injury when he slipped on the turf at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kelce did return to the game and even scored a touchdown in a 27-20 Chiefs victory.
Still, that didn’t stop his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, from calling for the NFL to “get rid of turf all together” in this week’s edition of their “New Heights” podcast.
Jason Kelce began by calmly asking his brother if he rolled his ankle or got caught in the artificial turf.
“If you watch the slow motion, my ankle kind of slips for a couple of inches and then it finally grabs on the turf. That’s been the knock [on turf among players], is that when you do slip, you don’t just slip right through the grass,” Travis responded.
“When it grabs, you’re just not ready for it,” both Jason and Travis Kelce stated in unison.
Jason Kelce alluded to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert’s report of the turf at U.S. Bank Stadium having a higher percentage of players suffering non-contact lower body injuries than other stadiums.
“We need to get rid of turf all together” Jason said. “Just stop it. We went through this with Astroturf back in the day; it ruined guys careers. Now, we’re seeing the same thing with this turf and it’s only going to continue to happen. Just go back to the grass.”
Jason Kelce even suggested that the league’s stadium use natural grass with UV lights.
The Eagles center also admitted he’s passionate about the turf issue because he will be facing the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. MetLife Stadium has also had a history of players suffering season-ending injuries on its turf.
Most recently, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear at MetLife Stadium in his first game with the team. Following Rodgers’ injury, NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell called for owners to change all 32 stadiums’ playing surfaces to grass.
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Author: Chris Bengel
October 11, 2023 | 3:25 pm
