Eli Manning takes surprising stand on turf vs grass debate in wake of Aaron Rodgers’ injury

Aaron Rodgers' Achilles injury has ignited the turf vs grass debate and Eli Manning is the latest participant in the discussion. Turf surfaces, which lack the natural compression of soil, can often lead to cleats and studs getting stuck underneath which can lead to injuries.

However, Eli Manning believes that Aaron Rodgers' injury had nothing to do with the composition of the playing field. He made the point that turf gives the opportunity for quick turnarounds.

He noted that the New York Giants played the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in a rainstorm. He argued that a grass field would have been muddy even on Monday when the Jets took to the field against the Buffalo Bills. He believes that having a turf playing surface ensured that it was not an issue.

Manning said:

"I think the turf, it gives you a reliable field all the time, especially when you get these stadiums, you know, the Giants played in that same stadium in a big rainstorm.

"If like you played that game, you get to play another game on Monday night and on the same field, it'd be ripped up and muddy and wet and all messed up anyway."

He also re-emphasized that Aaron Rodgers' injury, which is the catalyst for the latest debate, was not because of turf.

He added:

"So, I think it eliminates that you always have a clean surface, you know, it's not going to be a factor and unfortunately, I don't think that'll, you know, the turf didn't have a factor in that injury last night."

Does Eli Manning's take on Aaron Rodgers' injury have merit in the debate between turf and grass pitches?

While Eli Manning makes some interesting points, modern technology could ensure a quick turnaround of the playing surface. Other codes of football use mainly grass pitches in professional competitions.

Soccer matches, such as those in the FIFA World Cup, happen on grass pitches with quick turnaround time between games. Sports such as rugby league and rugby union are also generally played on natural surfaces.

Beyond the possibility of injury such as that suffered by Aaron Rodgers, the chances of cuts and lacerations also reduce on a grass field. His ex-teammate, David Bakhtiari, highlighted the same issue.

Clearly, there is a need for debate in the NFL regarding this issue. With better technologies available for maintaining grass and many stadiums having retractable roofs, the topic of turnaround time for matches should become a non-factor.