The Chicago Bears hosted the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field on Saturday, and the biggest story of the preseason game was the condition of the playing surface. NFL Players Association president JC Tretter believes the issue is one that needs to be addressed with significant changes.
The turf at Soldier Field was so bad that Bears staffers were trying to fill divots less than an hour before kickoff. Their efforts seemed to make little impact, as there were still areas that were patchy and easily torn up.
Tretter, a free agent who most recently played for the Cleveland Browns, tweeted about the condition of Soldier Field. He said the NFL needs to implement new testing procedures to ensure every playing surface is safe.
The NFL said that this field met minimum testing standards. We clearly need to re-evaluate what is an acceptable surface for players to compete on. We need new testing metrics looking at the performance and safety of every field. The NFL can and should do better. pic.twitter.com/Vh1NDgLQBk
— JC Tretter (@JCTretter) August 13, 2022
Soldier Field hosted an Elton John concert last week. That probably did not help the condition of the turf. Bears kicker Cairo Santos hinted that the field was in bad shape with some troubling remarks he made during the week about adjusting to Soldier Field.
The Bears will likely have to do some serious work at Soldier Field in the coming weeks. That work may involve replacing the field altogether with a new surface.
