SerpApi.Org
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins argued that it “makes no sense” why the NFL hasn’t transitioned more stadiums from artificial turf to natural grass after FIFA made similar conversions at several of the league’s venues for the World Cup.
On the heels of this year’s World Cup — during which seven NFL stadiums temporarily installed natural grass fields to abide by the tournament’s requirements — calls to permanently adopt the premium playing surfaces have reached a fever pitch. The #WorthTheCost campaign was born from the ensuing discourse, with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) arguing that team owners have the necessary technology, resources and operational capabilities to make such a change.
Speaking to Mirror U.S. Sports at Saturday’s Sports Illustrated Beyond the Pitch New York, Dawkins urged NFL top brass to introduce natural grass at every stadium across the league. “We need it,” he said. “FIFA has shown us that it can be done, so you guys need to do it.”
• Caitlin Clark refuses to take part in WNBA event as suspension looms
• Lionel Messi hands MLS blow just days after 'rat' behavior in World Cup final
Turning his attention to MetLife Stadium, which hosted the World Cup final and has developed a reputation in the NFL for poor field conditions, Dawkins added: “I hate to have to say this, but the Jets Stadium, the Giants Stadium, they've shown that they can do it.
“It makes no sense. Just do it. I don't know why there's a back and forth. Just do it. We’re the product, put the grass on the field and let us play. You want the best performance? Let us live and feel as comfortable as we want.”
Dawkins is far from the only NFL star who’s called for a ban on artificial turf, with the NFLPA reporting that 92 percent of players surveyed by the union preferred to play on natural grass.
“The temporary installation of natural grass fields for the World Cup is a choice by certain NFL team owners to do for soccer players what they refuse to do for NFL players,” the NFLPA said in an official statement.
“It’s no longer a question of capability; the technology exists, the expertise exists and the resources exist to install the high-level grass fields that our players overwhelmingly prefer.”
At the heart of the NFLPA’s push for higher-quality fields is player safety. According to league injury data from 2012-2018, artificial turf was associated with a 28 percent higher incidence of non-contact lower-extremity injuries compared with natural grass.
Over the seven-year period, non-contact knee injuries were additionally 32 percent more common and foot/ankle injuries occurred 69 percent more frequently on turf surfaces.
Yet the NFL has repeatedly pushed back on the notion that turf fields increase the risk of injury, citing the fact that injury risks across the playing surface and natural grass were practically the same in 2021 and 2025.
While making an appearance on the ‘Dan Patrick Show,’ NFL field director Nick Pappas said: "When we look across injury data, we no longer see this as an injury issue. In the past, those concerns that turf was driving up the injury rate.
“When we look at the injury rate and the severity of injury — and by that I mean the amount of ACLs, the amount of extended time-loss injuries, those real burdensome injuries — when we look at that, it's a split, grass vs. turf. It becomes just the injury rate of playing football at this point.”
Though the NFL has been slow to adopt natural grass across all stadiums, Dawkins expressed confidence that the World Cup could help influence the league’s decision. When asked if he believes that the quadrennial tournament will create momentum to implement grass fields throughout the league, the five-time Pro Bowler replied: “A hundred percent. It's already there. And now that we've seen it, now we can fight it.
“We just have to stand together and really say what we're going to do and not do. Because it's our power to say that we want turf or we want grass. And now that we've seen that they can do it with a snap of a finger, come on now. Like, some teams brought their own food here. Anything can be done.”
