The NFL world is in shock after Aaron Rodgers was injured on Monday Night Football, and one of his former teammates is fed up with how the league is handling playing surfaces at places like MetLife Stadium.
Just four plays into his stint with the New York Jets, Rodgers went down and struggled getting back up after being sacked. While the sack seemed normal enough, Rodgers was eventually carted off and ruled out for the game. Insiders would later reveal that Rodgers had suffered an achilles injury, which could be revealed to be season-ending following an MRI on Monday.
After Rodgers went out, former Green Bay Packers teammate David Bakhtiari took to X to vent and share his thoughts about how the NFL is treating its players with their playing surfaces around the league.
Congrats @nfl. How many more players have to get hurt on ARTIFICIAL TURF??! You care more about soccer players than us. You plan to remove all artificial turf for the World Cup coming up. So clearly it?s feasible.
I?m sick of this..Do better!— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) September 12, 2023
What's notable is the hypocrisy of the NFL, which Bakhtiari points out, regarding stadiums around the league replacing their turf with real grass when the World Cup arrives in a few years. Bakhtiari also shared data highlight the higher risk of being placed on injured reserve due to an injury on synthetic fields compared to natural grass.
This issue has been one that Bakhtiari has talked about for several years. Following a torn ACL in New Year's Eve of 2020, the All-Pro left tackle has shared his concerns with playing on turf fields, most notably the home of the Detroit Lions in Ford Field.
Injury prevention for Bakhtiari is personal, not only because of how long it took him to return to the field after his own ACL, but now also because one of his closest friends in Rodgers has potentially suffered a season-ending injury with his new team. If the NFL continues to roll out turf fields, then Bakhtiari will keep campaigning against them.
