Source: 'Outrage' over surface at Steelers field

PITTSBURGH -- Players from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns expressed "outrage" and concerns to the NFL Players Association astir the "embarrassing" playing aboveground astatine past play astatine Acrisure Stadium, a national root told ESPN.

"The NFLPA has conveyed its interest to the NFL and volition enactment to guarantee that players are not enactment successful that presumption going forward," the root said Wednesday.

Some players said the field, which was already scheduled to beryllium re-sodded aft the game, was "dry." Steelers violative lineman Broderick Jones was 1 of aggregate players who said they "kicked up chunks of grass" erstwhile they made explosive movements.

League spokesperson Brian McCarthy said Wednesday that the NFL has "been successful interaction with some the national and the club, which has taken steps to regenerate the writer surface."

"I thought it was mediocre yesterday," Steelers manager Mike Tomlin said Monday astir the tract conditions. "I'm not acrophobic going forward. It's my knowing that that turf is going to beryllium swapped out, but I surely admit it was a interest yesterday."

Steelers kicker Chris Boswell slipped connected the turf arsenic helium attempted and missed a fourth-quarter tract goal, and peculiar teams skipper Miles Killebrew suffered a "significant" non-contact genu wounded arsenic helium planted connected the turf.

"Honestly, it was s---," Steelers antiaircraft skipper and NFLPA squad typical Cameron Heyward said Tuesday. "I mislaid 1 of my teammates and benignant of makes maine bittersweet astir it."

Heyward said helium inactive prefers a writer playing aboveground to turf, which has drawn scrutiny astatine stadiums similar New York's MetLife for high-profile injuries. But Heyward added Sunday's tract was beneath standard.

The league has stated that determination was nary quality successful wounded rates betwixt synthetic turf and writer playing surfaces past season. There were besides less ACL injuries past play connected synthetic than writer surfaces and determination has been nary quality truthful acold this year.

"I similar grass, but that wasn't writer for playing," Heyward said.

An NFLPA root echoed Heyward's sentiments astir preferring writer to turf playing surfaces, but stressed that the prime of the writer matters.

"Players similar writer fields, but each writer surfaces aren't equal," the root told ESPN. "The conditions astatine Acrisure Stadium underscore wherefore players person pushed for high-quality writer fields, and wherefore the NFLPA continues to propulsion for improved, shared attraction practices of writer fields crossed the league."

The Steelers stock a stadium with the University of Pittsburgh, but neither squad had played astatine Acrisure the week earlier Sunday's game. Pitt hosted Boston College connected Oct. 4, portion the Steelers lone location crippled anterior to the Browns crippled was against the Seattle Seahawks connected Sept. 14.

While the Steelers had conscionable 1 location crippled successful that stretch, Pitt hosted 4 of their archetypal 5 games astatine Acrisure. Juggling the wear-and-tear of the tract betwixt 2 teams is thing caller astatine the field, but typically, conditions person worsened overmuch aboriginal successful the play earlier a re-sodding.

"Players merit to person the safest and highest-quality places of work," the NFLPA root said. "The NFLPA is advocating to found amended league-wide standards and pushing the NFL for much surface-specific information successful bid to guarantee that our members are playing connected the champion imaginable tract surfaces, nary substance if it's writer oregon turf."