NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan say the practice field the 49ers are using this week at UNLV is adequate to prepare for the Super Bowl, but the NFL Players Association says it’s not enough. He claims that there is no.
NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell said today that UNLV’s practice field is “not in a condition that really satisfies what our players deserve.”
Asked about concerns that the 49ers don’t have a suitable field to practice on, Howell said the NFL should never have allowed that to become an issue in the first place.
“I hope we’re in a position where it’s viable, but the very fact that we’re asking the question at the biggest event means that this is a problem,” Howell said.
NFLPA President J.C. Tretter said the association does not believe there is an injury risk on the field, but believes the quality of the field is below what is appropriate for NFL players.
“We need to step up to the plate to make the surface high-quality,” Tretter said.
Howell has been investigating competitive issues since taking over as NFLPA director last year, and said players care about competitive issues as much as issues facing the workplace.
“The only issue that had unanimous comments was, ‘At the end of the day, we want to play on the highest quality grass surface,'” Howell said.
According to an NFLPA study, 92 percent of players prefer playing on high-quality turf, 6 percent are indifferent to the difference between grass and artificial turf, and of the 2 percent who prefer artificial turf, most are kickers.
“Grass fields have a lower injury rate,” Howell says. “The difference is what kind of chronic pain they have for the rest of their lives.”
Howell also noted that the 2026 World Cup will use an NFL stadium, with a turf field installed on top of the NFL’s artificial turf field.
“If it’s a different sport, it’s possible,” Howell said.
The union believes it can be done in the NFL, but owners are not willing to invest the money to ensure all NFL games are played on quality turf fields.
