Brooke PryorOct 15, 2025, 02:54 PM ETCloseBrooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.Follow on X
McAfee weighs in on Steelers field controversy (1:09)Pat McAfee reacts to the criticism over the Steelers’ playing surface at Acrisure Stadium. (1:09)
“The NFLPA has conveyed its concern to the NFL and will work to ensure that players are not put in that position going forward,” the source said Wednesday.
Some players said the field, which was already scheduled to be resodded after the game, was “dry.” Steelers offensive lineman Broderick Jones was one of multiple players who said they “kicked up chunks of grass” when they made explosive movements.
League spokesperson Brian McCarthy said Wednesday that the NFL has “been in touch with both the union and the club, which has taken steps to replace the grass surface.”
Heyward said he still prefers a grass playing surface to turf, which has drawn scrutiny at stadiums such as MetLife for high-profile injuries. But Heyward added that Sunday’s field was below standard.
The league has stated that there was no difference in injury rates between synthetic turf and grass playing surfaces last season. There were also fewer ACL injuries last season on synthetic than grass surfaces, and there has been no difference so far this year.
“Players prefer grass fields, but all grass surfaces aren’t equal,” the source told ESPN. “The conditions at Acrisure Stadium underscore why players have pushed for high-quality grass fields, and why the NFLPA continues to push for improved, shared maintenance practices of grass fields across the league.”
“Players deserve to have the safest and highest-quality places of work,” the NFLPA source said. “The NFLPA is advocating to establish better leaguewide standards and pushing the NFL for more surface-specific data in order to ensure that our members are playing on the best possible field surfaces, no matter if it’s grass or turf.”
McAfee weighs in on Steelers field controversy (1:09)Pat McAfee reacts to the criticism over the Steelers’ playing surface at Acrisure Stadium. (1:09)
CloseBrooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.Follow on X
“I like grass, but that wasn’t grass for playing,” Heyward said.
Pat McAfee reacts to the criticism over the Steelers’ playing surface at Acrisure Stadium. (1:09)