George Kittle calls out the hypocrisy of the NFL over the installation of a grass field for the World Cup
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Seven NFL stadiums are installing grass fields to comply with this summer’s FIFA rules World Cupand one of the league’s biggest stars screams hypocrisy.
Half of the league’s fields use turf, despite NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell saying that 92% of league players choose grass.
However, a common assumption is that turf is cheaper to use and easier to maintain than grass, considering that stadiums host more events throughout the year.
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San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle sits in a wheelchair after suffering an injury in the first half of an NFL playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia on Jan. 11, 2026. (Chris Szagola/Associated Press)
However, as the league reaches its final days, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has called out the NFL for ignoring players’ pleas but bowing to FIFA.
“We’ve made it clear that we prefer grass fields. We know it’s better for our bodies. And obviously, we know it’s possible based on everything that has happened in putting down the World Cup fields in each field,” Kittle said in a statement the NFLPA sent to social media.
Workers install the pitch at New York New Jersey Stadium, renamed from MetLife Stadium, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 7, 2026. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
WORLD CUP ANNOUNCER SAYS FIFA’S GRASS AUTHORITY WILL BE ‘BIG CONVERSATION’ ABOUT NFL’S TURF FIELDS
“Right now, it’s down to the NFL making it a priority and choosing to invest in us as players, because our bodies are our business, which they get to use!”
Kittle is recovering from a torn Achilles he carried on the turf in Philadelphia.
Former lineman Andrew Whitworth recently told Fox News Digital that he would be “frustrated” with the NFL if he were in Kittle’s shoes.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about it, it’s just that we’ve been very vocal that we’d like to have it…” Whitworth agreed, but said he understood the turf argument. “The truth is that everyone wants to play on grass because it feels better.”
It was announced late last year that each NFL team will be given a “library of official and authorized NFL fields” before the 2026 season begins. Any new field would have to meet those standards, and all teams would have two years to meet them.
Both grass fields and synthetic turf will be subject to the new standards, but the NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields.
The NFL logo is displayed on the field after the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Dec. 28, 2025. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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The medical officer of the unit, Dr. Allen Sills, said there is no “significant difference” in lower back injuries or concussions caused by the type of play or the specific location. That’s despite many players’ preference for grass fields and complaints about a facility like the one at MetLife Stadium, there New York Giants and the Jets games and where the World Cup final will be held on July 19.
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
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