While injuries occur across the NFL every week, they seem to happen more frequently at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and Jets, than at any other venue. MetLife has a turf field, which many believe contributes to the high number of noncontact injuries.
After playing there on Sunday, San Francisco 49ers superstar tight end George Kittle spoke out about MetLife’s injury history, saying no NFL stadium should ever be “the butt of a joke.”
What Did George Kittle Say About MetLife Stadium’s Injury History?
Since 2020, MetLife Stadium has been the site of numerous noncontact injuries. Stars like Nick Bosa, Jabrill Peppers, Wan’Dale Robinson, and, most recently, Malik Nabers have suffered torn ACLs on the MetLife turf. On the other hand, Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Phillips, and Sterling Shepard are among the players who have torn Achilles tendons there.
The stadium’s injury history has turned MetLife into a meme in the NFL community, with fans joking about some of the league’s best players getting hurt there.
After the 49ers’ game against the Giants on Sunday, Kittle addressed MetLife’s reputation, noting that its injury history is constantly referenced and joked about in the NFL community. He explained that with so many examples of injuries, something needs to change.
“My only issue with it is like, when someone’s field is like the butt of the joke throughout like all of social media, constantly, like on every NFL meme page, all that stuff, everybody jokes about how bad it is,” Kittle said. “I feel like at that point, someone should take a look at it. No NFL field should be the butt of a joke ever.”
Kittle went on to offer a solution, suggesting that the NFL should limit stadiums to one or two types of turf or grass to create more consistent playing surfaces across the league.
“I feel like all fields should have a level of safety to it,” Kittle said. “I just don’t get why there’s not a standard for, ‘hey, you got to pick between one or two turfs.’ There shouldn’t be 12 different turfs and 12 different grass fields, and a couple of guys have the same things.”
NFL players have been outspoken about artificial turf, and across the league, it’s widely agreed that grass is safer and better for the players.
49ers insider Grant Cohn echoed Kittle’s sentiment, noting that while San Francisco’s home stadium, Levi’s Stadium, isn’t perfect, it at least is a grass field. He also criticized the 49ers’ NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, for still using artificial turf.
The NFL has emphasized player safety in recent years, and while progress has been made in many areas, Kittle’s idea of fixing playing surfaces would be a strong next step for the league.