For much of the early summer, the United States hosted the FIFA World Cup at several NFL stadiums, including the home of the Patriots in Foxboro, which prompted a lot of conversation among players for one big reason: grass.
Every stadium involved in the games replaced its artificial turf with real grass, as is customary for all professional soccer games. That caught the attention of NFL players, since several have long advocated that grass is much better to play on than turf, sending a clear message to owners to make the change permanent.
Patriots players also spoke on the matter, making it clear that they prefer the real thing over the fake, and there was hope that Robert Kraft would get the message. But the latest news regarding Gillette Stadium's field shows that's far from the case.
In fact, it doesn't look like the owner has any plans to make the switch any time soon, and that might not be well received by his team, especially since a key part of their argument for grass centers on the injury rate.
Robert Kraft is still not board with the Patriots making a permanant change to their stadium
Ahead of their first preseason game this week against the Colts, the Patriots are in a hurry to fix their field after the NFL deemed the turf to be "noncompliant." Therefore, they will have to replace the entire thing in hopes of falling within the proper guidelines before Thursday's game.
Although it would likely be too late in the offseason to make a major change like a switch from turf to grass, it's just the latest example of Kraft's hesitance to make the change, despite the outcry from Patriots players who see far more positives about grass for their performance and the likelihood of injuries.
Given that the World Cup took place relatively early in the summer, there was a chance to keep grass on the field for the foreseeable future. The dozens of players, coupled with the NFLPA, made a major statement about the benefits of making the permanent switch around the league, but as of right now, no team has taken their word to heart and kept grass for the upcoming season.
It's an opportunity that has come and passed. Kraft could have led by example by showing how important it is to listen to your players on matters such as this, and that would have been a pretty cool standard for the Patriots to set.
Instead, they're rushing to comply with the NFL's definition of game-ready turf, and hopefully they can get it done ahead of their preseason opener.
In years past, questionable field conditions have canceled or rescheduled preseason games, and although sometimes it's unavoidable, it's certainly something the Patriots should not want to deal with after an offseason filled with controversy.
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