Reggie Bush didn't hesitate choosing his side in the ongoing controversial debate over artificial turf vs. natural grass fields in the NFL.
The former Trojans running back opened up in a recent interview with GQ about his thoughts on how the NFL could be doing more for player safety in the modern era. One of his biggest bones to pick was with the existence of turf fields, as he declared that, "No sports should ever be played on turf."
Bush told GQ:
One thing I think they need to get rid of that’s still out there and is still an issue is field turf. When we look at the studies and the correlation between field turf and ACLs, PCLs, meniscuses, just about all leg injuries, a lot of it is traced back to the surface that you play on. They're playing on one of the most dangerous surfaces.
Bush, who played for 11 years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, can count himself among those who want to see the league make the costlier but safer switch to grass fields in the future. Bush tore into NFL owners who he believes are saving money by continuing to employ the "cheapest" playing surfaces in spite of the annual amount of non-contact injuries that shorten or end players' careers.
Unfortunately, NFL owners still believe that turf is the cheapest, most cost-efficient way in a league that annualizes billions every year. It's not adding up to me. It's a repetitive cycle, and it's going to continue. It's unfortunate. It will continue until the players decide to stand up and say, “Listen, we don't want to play on turf anymore.” The thing is, all players hate it.
Bush went on to put the onus on the players themselves to lobby for change:
Whatever the players want, they can get. They hold the ultimate power, which is to just sit out. Unfortunately, that is the only way they will be able to have leverage in their negotiations with the Players' Association versus the NFL and their collective bargaining agreements. Two things: We don't have guaranteed contracts in the NFL, and we’re put on the worst surface.
NFL players association president JC Tretter notably shared Bush's sentiment back in 2022, when he called for the immediate ban of slit film turf around the league. That year, the push-back against artificial turf peaked with several NFL stars voicing their frustrations about the dangerous playing surface.
Though many players have since made clear that they prefer grass, the owners ultimately get the final say, and it would appear for the foreseeable future that turf is here to stay in the NFL.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Reggie Bush Rips NFL Owners for Using ‘Cheapest’ Fields.
