The NFL Players Association has been lobbying for the league to abandon artificial turf in favor of natural grass, a move that the NFLPA says would help make football safer by reducing the number of injuries that happen on turf.
One of football’s biggest stars, Buffalo Bills pass rusher Von Miller, has joined the NFLPA’s campaign by teaming up with Pennington Grass Seed for a commercial promoting natural grass playing surfaces for football (the Bills are among 16 NFL teams who play on turf).
In an ad that Pennington says was rejected by a network for the NFL draft, Miller says until turf is off the field, “draft day will always be painful.”
Here is the minute-long ad from Pennington Grass Seed’s YouTube channel:
“The game will take a toll on your — twisted ankles, torn ACLs — your body pushed to the brink,” Miller says in the commercial. “We all knew the risk when we signed up, but why do injuries have to come direct from the field?”
Miller spent the first 10 and a half years of his career with the Denver Broncos. While playing for the Broncos in 2013, Miller tore his ACL in a road game against the Houston Texans, who play on turf.
Miller now plays for the Bills and he suffered another torn ACL last season during a road game against the Detroit Lions, who also play on turf.
The Broncos play their home games at Empower Field at Mile High on natural grass. Last fall, the team’s ownership group paid $400,000 to have the field replaced for the final home game of the season in an effort to give players a safe playing surface.
Clearly, Denver’s ownership group believes natural grass is a worthwhile investment, but half of the league still plays on synthetic turf, which is cheaper to maintain. For safety reasons, players want all 32 teams playing on natural grass, and Miller is now an official spokesperson for the cause.
“It’s time to put the players first,” Miller says in the ad. “Get turf off the fields and bring back grass.”
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