Lionel Messi's $54,000,000 move has Packers’ David Bakhtiari taking aim at NFLPA president
Green Bay Packer offensive tackle David Bakhtiari is upset with the NFLPA after an update from Major League Soccer. Soccer star Lionel Messi just signed with Inter Miami of the MLS.
The league announced that the teams which will be playing against Messi's Miami team will replace their artifical turf for real grass. This is an interesting move for the league to make for one specific player.
One of the more interesting things about Lionel Messi's MLS signing is that Commissioner Don Garber expects teams with artificial turf fields to install grass surfaces for upcoming matches against Messi.
Yet NFL players have complained about this for years and still no movement.
Bakhtiari re-tweeted this soccer news and said that it 'must be nice' and tagged the NFL. He then tagged NFLPA President JC Tretter and asked him if he saw this update about the soccer league's plans.
Must be nice @NFL
@JCTretter you see this?? twitter.com/joepompliano/s…
The turf and grass debate has been a hot button topic in the NFL for years and many stadiums across the league have switched from real grass to turf in recent years which many NFL players feel is the reason for the uptick in concussion and other injuries.
Bakhtiari is one of the NFL players who believes that the NFL should only be using grass surfaces. He has been vocal the last few seasons that the artifical turf is detrimental to his surgically repaired knee. The Packers yearly schedule features two road games in Detroit and Minnesota, both of whom have the artifical turf.
Unlike the MLS, making a change in the NFL typically involves a lot of discussion and votes before a change is passed.
How long has David Bakhtiari played in the NFL?
Three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman David Bakhtiari has been a staple for the Packers offense. After playing his collegiate career at the University of Colorado, he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
In his rookie season he was the starting left tackle for every game, becoming the first rookie to ever get the starting job that early in his career at the position.
There's depth at the position 💯
#Madden24 pic.twitter.com/xnmHj6p6GU
After tearing his ACL in 2020, he missed the majority of the 2021 NFL season. The 31 year old has been named a First-Team All-Pro twice, the Second-Team All-Pro three times and the NFL Pro Bowl three times.
The offensive tackle will head into the 2023 NFL season in a different position, protecting and blocking for a first-year quarterback in Jordan Love. Now that his good friend, Aaron Rodgers left, Bakhtiari's leadership will be needed on the offense more than ever.