Packers OL David Bakhtiari slams NFL, artificial turf after Aaron Rodgers injury

The New York Jets are facing the prospect of a season without quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the former NFL MVP appeared to have suffered a serious Achilles injury four snaps into his debut against the Bills on Monday night.

Shortly after the QB went down, David Bakhtiari, Rodgers’ long-time protector on the Packers’ offensive line, ripped into the league with a very common player complaint about artificial turf.

“Congrats @nfl,” Bakhtiari shared on X Monday night. 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!”

New York swapped the turf in MetLife Stadium this offseason but the players still prefer grass.

“Grass. That’s my answer. We want grass,” Jets running back Breece Hall said after the game.

The Jets are still waiting on results from Rodgers’ MRI on Tuesday morning but head coach Robert Saleh is bracing for the worst.

“It’s not good,” Saleh said after the game, via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

New York managed to pull the win out from under the Bills in overtime but a win on the record sheet will do little to lessen the blow if Rodgers’ MRI confirms an Achilles tear.

NFLPA pushing back against NFL owners on turf issue

NFLPA president JC Tretter had a scathing review of the NFL ownership following the release of the 2022 injury data. Tretter exposed the increased rate of injuries to players playing on turf versus grass in 10 of the past 11 years and called out owners who deny the increased risks to player safety.

The NFLPA has been pushing back on NFL ownership for several years now to get the league’s leadership to open their eyes to the increased risk of injuries to players on turf fields versus grass. So far, it hasn’t made a difference.

On an episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, the team dove into the 2022 injury data, not just from the pros, but also at the high school level. Their expert on the matter was Dr. Timothy Kremchek, the Cincinnati Reds team physician since 1996. He said he “absolutely” sees a difference in the injury rates.

“I see an epidemic of injuries of young, strong, healthy kids that are getting hurt that are risking not only their careers, but their limbs,” Kremchek said.

The data from the NFL has led to similar conclusions from the NFLPA. However, according to sources who spoke to ProFootballTalk, it’s not opening the eyes of the NFL owners yet.

Turf might be cheaper and easier to maintain. However, it doesn’t provide the same amount of give as a grass field. That is where the issues arise.

“What happens is the foot hits the ground, and when the body is gonna change direction, the foot stays planted, and it gets stuck,” Kremchek said. “And as the body starts to turn, all the stresses go from the foot, the ankle, and then up to the knee. And as the knee turns, boom.”