Rams WR Kupp: NFL games should be on grass

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — When asked whether he has a preference for playing on a turf field compared to a natural grass field, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp didn’t hesitate.

“It’s not even close,” Kupp said Thursday. “I know there’s stuff going around the league right now, there’s some issues. Hands down, we should be playing on grass. Hands down, we should be on grass. And that’s all I’m going to say.”

The question about playing on artificial turf was asked after Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf and Los Angeles Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson each left Sunday’s game at SoFi Stadium with knee injuries, both on noncontact plays.

SoFi Stadium, where both the Rams and Chargers play, has an artificial turf field. Fourteen of the NFL’s 30 stadiums use an artificial surface.

Kupp was then asked if the turf at SoFi Stadium was any different, and he quickly replied, “We should be on grass.”

On Wednesday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the issue is something “we definitely need to look at this really seriously in the offseason again.”

“It’s been a discussion before,” Carroll said. “We’ve got to do what’s right, and we’ve got to do what’s safest for the players, and we’ve got to make those choices. I would pound on the drum for that.”

In 2020, after San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan complained about the artificial surface at MetLife Stadium, NFL Players Association president JC Tretter called for all NFL teams to switch to natural grass to reduce the risk of injury.

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