Anyone who has ever played or coached a football game at MetLife Stadium is fully aware of the damage the artificial playing surface has done to NFL players.
With several of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches scheduled at the New York Giants and Jets’ home venue over the next month, the talk has been about the mandatory switch from artificial turf to natural grass to comply with FIFA requirements.
Players shouldn’t get too excited. The switch is only temporary. The artificial surface will return as soon as FIFA leaves town in July.
On Monday at the opening of the Giants’ mandatory minicamp, head coach John Harbaugh was asked his thoughts on MetLife sticking with the artificial turf.
“Oh, you’re going to try to draw me in to the turf versus grass,” he said, “[Roger Goodell] is going to call me off and he’s going to get mad at me because I’m probably not going to say what he wants me to say. That’s all I’m going to say. That’s all I’m going to say. It’s a good surface out there. It’s a good artificial surface, I’ll say that.”
Okay, so he fibbed a bit. The players have been lobbying for natural grass at MetLife for years now. If the World Cup couldn’t change the shotcallers’ minds, it may never happen.
For the record, the surface at MetLife has been changed over time in an attempt to keep current with the technology. It was last changed in 2023.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ John Harbaugh dodges MetLife Stadium playing surface debate
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By John Fennelly, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
