NFL Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Over the past several months, there has been a lot conversations and concern about the NFL’s use of artificial turf with the NFLPA providing evidence that suggests artificial turf is less safe than natural grass. Now, not only is the NFLPA providing another data point to suggest this is the case, but they’re also accusing the NFL of being deliberately misleading.

Last season, the NFL used data from the 2021 season to try to show that injury rates were similar on turf as they were to grass. But as NFLPA President J.C. Tretter wrote on the NFLPA’s website, the 2021 season was an outlier. 11 of the last 10 years, players were significantly more likely to be injured on turf than on grass – even in 2022.

“In short, last year, the gap – much like the NFL’s credibility with players on this issue – was as wide as it has ever been, proving that (as the NFLPA suspected) 2021 was in fact an outlier,” Tretter wrote. “Now, 10 of the previous 11 years show the same exact thing — grass is a significantly safer surface than turf.”

Tetter implies that the NFL is being deliberately manipulative and misleading by only using the 2021 data.

“The credibility the league has with the players on health and safety issues is virtually nonexistent,” Tretter said. “Instead of following the long-term data (which is clear on this issue), listening to players and making the game safer, the NFL used an outlier year to engage in a PR campaign to convince everyone that the problem doesn’t actually exist.”

It’s certainly a concerning situation and the NFL world had plenty to say about it on Twitter.

We’ll have to see how the NFL responds to these allegations.

[NFLPA]