Pockmarked with dead spots and divots, Soldier Field’s turf would have made an aging public golf course blush Saturday. Nowhere was it more evident than the yardage stencils on the east side of the field, where dead spots competed with white chalk for attention.
Grounds crew members submitted grass reports to the league all week and were told it met the standard. But NFLPA president J.C. Tretter said it wasn’t good enough.
“We clearly need to re-evaluate what is an acceptable surface for players to compete on,” he wrote on Twitter. “We need new testing metrics looking at the performance and safety of every field. The NFL can and should do better.”
Super-agent David Canter Tweeted that Saturday’s exhibition opener against the Chiefs should have been canceled.
“Player safety should he tantamount to everything,” he wrote. “We know it’s a pipe dream but this isn’t safe.”
Bears kicker Cairo Santos said Saturday marked an improvement over Tuesday’s Soldier Field practice— but still was unacceptable.
“I think it’s reckless that we have a product of the league out there, big-time players on both teams out there, and it’s too bad if the field becomes an issue where there’s an injury and that star of the league is out for the season,” Santos told the Sun-Times. “And that can happen. It’s a reckless thing that they’re not taking care of it to the standards [of the players].”
The Chicago Park District owns and operates the stadium. The Bears are considering moving to Arlington Heights, where they’re in the process of buying land.
The plan all year has been to re-sod Soldier Field between the stadium’s last concert Sept. 3 and the Bears’ Sept. 11 opener.
This is not photoshop. This is what the field actually looks like today. pic.twitter.com/NCtRAJxYWK
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) August 13, 2022
The turf was already in bad shape before the Aug. 5 Elton John concert. A day before the show, the Fire announced they were moving their Aug. 21 match to SeatGeek Stadium “due to the expected field condition at Soldier Field,” which the team suspected would not meet MLS standards.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said he thought the grass was “firm” and “good,” saying the grounds crew was “trying to do their best.”
The grass has “always been that way,” quarterback Justin Fields said.
“To be honest, last year I used our home field as an advantage,” he said.
