Andrew Whitworth ‘Would Definitely Be Annoyed’ NFL Lets FIFA’s Turf Rules In

NFL players have been asking for years to make grass fields mandatory in their stadiums — this summer they are, but for a different reason.

Seven NFL stadiums that use artificial turf have converted their playing surfaces to FIFA-compliant grass during the World Cup.

Half of the league’s stadiums use grass, despite NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell saying 92% of the league’s players prefer grass.

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Understandably, Super Bowl champion offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth said he would “definitely be” annoyed with the league if he were still playing.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about it, only because we’ve expressed so much that we’d love to have it,” Whitworth admitted.

“I get it. Here’s the reality — when you look at these stadiums, they’re entertainment venues. They’re not just for football. From the Taylor Swift tour to you name it, everything happens there. So when you say, okay, from an owner-a-building standpoint, from being able to function as a venue that way, I get it. To be able to have all those tough concerts, you need to have a tougher event. surface. So you understand that part of it.”

But one of the reasons Whitworth was “jacked up” to be a Ram was that his divisional opponents played on grass in their home stadiums. Even when he first signed, the Rams were on grass at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The NFL logo is seen on the field after the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on December 28, 2025. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

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At this point, plenty of studies on injuries and playing surfaces are conflicting, but Whitworth said it goes far beyond actual injuries.

“We could fool every surface in the world on injury rates, right? But I’ll tell you this – ask the people who are actually standing on the grass and turf, what would you rather play on? There’s no other debate,” he said. “The reality is everyone wants to play on grass because you feel better.

“At my age, older or younger, you feel it in your body and in your bones. Forget injuries. You feel it for days after that fight. Days and days. You can just feel the difference. I always tell people that. Go out and take a long walk on concrete in your neighborhood and then take that same walk on a rubber surface at a track and see how much different you feel in your body, dude, bounce I would play in your body. one second. Even when I was 40, I’d play a turf match and say, ‘Dude, I’m ready to lift tomorrow.’

“But a turf game almost zaps you of all your energy and your bones and all that. So I think every time we get into it, it’s not just about the data. It’s about when these players say it’s that extra feeling of three, four more days, man, I just feel terrible. I feel terrible.”

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Workers install the pitch at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on May 7, 2026. (Charly Triballeu/AFP)

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That was it announced late last year that each NFL team will be provided with “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the 2026 season begins. Any new field must meet these standards immediately, and all teams will have two years to reach them. Both grass and artificial turf pitches will be subject to the new standards.

The NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields.

The league’s chief physician, Dr. Allen Sills, said there are no “statistically significant differences” in lower extremity injuries or concussions attributable to the type of playing surface or a specific surface, despite players’ widespread preference for grass fields and complaints about surfaces like the one at MetLife Stadium, where New York Giants and the Jets play, and where the WC final will be held on July 19.