NFL
George Kittle Urges NFL to Keep MetLife Grass After World Cup: ‘Can We Keep It That Way?’
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle turned soccer’s biggest night into a lobbying opportunity. Attending the FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, July 19, 2026, Kittle posted photos of the stadium’s lush natural-grass pitch and asked the NFL to make the surface permanent.
“Grass looks great at MetLife! Can we keep it that way, @NFL?? Would appreciate it, thanks,” he wrote on X, in posts first rounded up by The U.S. Sun. After the match, a 1-0 Spain win over Argentina, he pushed again: “Grass still looks great! Let’s use grass instead of turf @NFL !! Please? Thanks, guys!”
The polite plea drew backup close to home. New York Jets running back Breece Hall, who plays his home games at MetLife, reposted Kittle and added a one-word endorsement: “PLEASE.” As NBC Sports Bay Area reported, both players want the World Cup grass to stay.
MetLife normally uses artificial turf. FIFA required natural grass at every World Cup venue, so MetLife and other US stadiums laid temporary natural grass for the tournament.
The New Jersey venue hosted eight World Cup matches on the new surface, proof, players argue, that a permanent switch is feasible.
The grass-versus-turf debate is not new. NFL injury data from 2012 to 2018 showed a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower-leg injuries on turf than on grass, figures the NFL Players Association has cited for years in its push for grass.
The union says the gaps are even wider for knee and foot injuries. MetLife’s turf has drawn particular scrutiny after high-profile injuries there, including former Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose Achilles tore minutes into his 2023 debut.
