Chris Simms rips into Roger Goodell, Jerry Jones and other owners for choosing “foreigners” over Americans in grass vs turf debate
Owners like Jerry Jones and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell have had to operate the league while juggling the multi-use function of team stadiums. One day, the stadium is used for an NFL game. Another day, it's used for a concert. However, in order to flip-flop from one event to another, teams have elected to use artificial turfs to the dissatisfaction of NFL players past and present.
Speaking on Pro Football Talk, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms ripped into the owners and Roger Goodell over their treatment of the grass situation and by extension, the players. Here's how he put it, starting with owners' willingness to give grass fields to the World Cup players but not NFL players:
“It's Jerry Jones. It's 'America, America, America, America. We love America.’ And then he's going to change the field for a bunch of foreigners, but [it's] ‘screw the Americans who play on it.’ That's just fallen on deaf ears to me..."
He continued, talking about statements made by Roger Goodell on First Take on Wednesday:
"And then for Roger Goodell yesterday to sit there and talk about, 'oh, some players like the field turf.' Bullcrap... I'm still trying to find one player that prefers field turf over grass. Tell me one. That is such political B.S. They should be ashamed of themselves with this...Kiss my butt with all this crap. I'm sick of it. Start taking care of your players. It's ridiculous..."
Lastly, he ranked a miscolored, muddy, slippery grass field in Tom Brady's old neck of the woods over an artificial one:
"I played on one of those fields in Tampa, Mike, where there was a college football game the night before in South Florida and Tampa. We came on the field and it was spray painted brown a little bit. I still rather would have played on that field than the artificial turf... Get it done. NFL, stop talking out of both sides of your mouth."
Roger Goodell takes the heat as Aaron Rodgers becomes martyr over villain in latest massive controversy
At this point, the anger directed at Roger Goodell and the owners seems worse than any endured by Aaron Rodgers in recent memory.
While he was largely seen as a villain over the course of his slow, painful exit from the Green Bay Packers, he now has become a martyr. In suffering an injury on artificial turf, it has invited fans, players, and pundits of all 32 teams to direct their anger at Roger Goodell and the owners in charge of the field-making decisions.
In the past, Aaron Rodgers had his own fans as well as fans defending him against the wave of hate in response to what happened with his "immunization" controversy, the slow decision-making, the holdout, and the 9/11 hoax beliefs.
Now, his fans and admirers of every player from Patrick Mahomes to Aaron Donald have the same target. Even if a team plays on a normal grass field, they still are required to travel and play on artificial turf every season.
Will the tragic injury to one of the biggest names in the NFL bring about change in a seemingly ubiquitous opinion of the zeitgeist or will it take a similar injury to Jalen Hurts or another big name for the league to move.
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Pro Football Talk and H/T Sportskeeda.