A study conducted by the NFL’s Injury and Safety Panel was presented to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons today. The study showed that ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries are 88% higher in games played on FieldTurf than they are on natural grass playing fields. Ankle and other lower body injuries also occur in higher frequency on the manufactured substance.
An interesting twist to the story is that the chairman of the NFL pane is Dr. Elliott Hershman, who just so happens to be the Jets’ team orthopedist. The new Jets/Giants stadium is planned to install FieldTurf. If Dr. Hershman doesn’t protest against this product, knowing it puts the players he’s paid to care for at risk, would that not be negligence?
The President of FieldTurf, Eric Dalier, was not very happy with the findings, citing a FieldTurf sponsored study showing that college athletes experienced less injuries on their product. Not that I don’t trust product sponsored studies, but I don’t.
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