Connect with us

Sports

NFL cites player safety in plan to bring every stadium’s playing surface up to enhanced standards

Published

on

NFL cites player safety in plan to bring every stadium’s playing surface up to enhanced standards

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

As the debate over NFL playing surfaces continues, the league introduced a plan that aims to bring more consistency to all stadiums.

The new enhanced standards will have to be met by 2028, according to the NFL, and will be set through lab and field testing.

Nick Pappas, an NFL field director, shared some details about the plans for the program rollout.

Each team will be provided with “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the 2026 season begins. Any new field will immediately have to meet those standards, and all teams will have two years to achieve them. Both grass and synthetic turf fields will be subject to the new standards.

Advertisement

The NFL logo on the field at SoFi Stadium Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (Kirby Lee/magn Images)

Most artificial surfaces are replaced every two or three years, Pappas said. Natural fields can have a shorter usage span and are often replaced several times during a single season.

2025 NFL WEEK 14 BUZZ: COMMANDERS GET QB JAYDEN DANIELS BACK VS. VIKINGS

Pappas added that the fields will have undergone extensive testing and been approved by a joint committee with the NFLPA.

Advertisement

 “It’s sort of a red, yellow, green effect, where we’re obviously trying to phase out fields that we have determined to be less ideal than newer fields coming into the industry,” he said.

The Las Vegas Raiders logo at midfield at Allegiant Stadium Oct. 27, 2024, in Paradise, Nev. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

“This is a big step for us. This is something that I think has been a great outcome from the Joint Surfaces Committee of the work, the deployment and development of devices determining the appropriate metrics and ultimately providing us with a way to substantiate the quality of fields more so than we ever have in the past.”

Pappas said fields have been tested in labs and on site using two main tools. One is called the BEAST, which is a traction testing device that replicates the movements of an NFL player. The other is called the STRIKE Impact Tester, which helps determine the firmness of each field.

The turf field for a preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos at the Caesars Superdome Aug. 23, 2025, in New Orleans.  (Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images)

Advertisement

The league’s goal is to find fields that are as consistent as possible for all 30 NFL stadiums and at each stadium throughout the season. Pappas said the “key pillars” for a field are optimized playability, reducing injury risk and player feedback.

The NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields. The league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said there are no “statistically significant differences” in lower extremity injuries or concussions that can be attributed to the type of playing surface or a specific surface despite widespread preferences by players for grass fields and complaints about surfaces such as the one at MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play.

“The surface is only one driver of these lower extremity injuries,” Sills said. “There are a lot of other factors, including player load and previous history and fatigue, positional adaptability and cleats that are worn. So, surfaces are a component, but it is a complex equation.”

The natural grass field for the upcoming Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, has been growing at a sod farm located a couple hours east of the Bay Area.

Advertisement

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement

Sports

Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds miss out on latest chance to enter Baseball Hall of Fame

Published

on

Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds miss out on latest chance to enter Baseball Hall of Fame

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Jeff Kent has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

Kent, the 2000 NL MVP winner who played the majority of his career at second base, received 14 of the possible 16 votes from the committee to earn his place in Cooperstown as a part of the Class of 2026.

Kent was the only candidate to receive the necessary 75% of votes from the 16-person committee. The next closest was Carlos Delgado, who received nine of the 16 votes.

Meanwhile, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Gary Sheffield — all players linked to using performance-enhancing drugs in their careers — each received less than five votes. Fernando Valenzuela also did not receive the votes necessary.

Advertisement

Clemens received support from President Donald Trump ahead of the committee’s vote.

“Roger Clemens, who won 354 games, went through his own Witch Hunt. HE WAS ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES!!! If he doesn’t get into the Hall of Fame, he should sue the hell out of Major League Baseball!” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Sunday.

“It was the Obama DOJ (of course!) that viciously went after the great Roger Clemens. ROGER WAS FULLY ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES!!!”

This is a developing story. More to come.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Mountain West champion Boise State to face Washington in LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium

Published

on

Mountain West champion Boise State to face Washington in LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium

Mountain West Conference champion Boise State is extending the nation’s second-longest active bowl streak with a trip to Los Angeles.

The Broncos (9-4, 6-2 Mountain West) will facing off with Washington (8-4, 5-4 in Big Ten) in the LA Bowl on Dec. 13 at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PST and the game will air on ABC.

Boise State is making its 28th consecutive bowl appearance, trailing only Georgia (29) for the longest postseason streak. The Broncos are coming off a 38-21 win over UNLV in the Mountain West Conference championship game. Quarterback Maddux Madsen, who returned from an injury absence, threw four first-half touchdown passes that sealed the Broncos’ title win.

Washington earned a bowl bid in coach Jeff Fisch’s second season leading the Huskies. Fisch previously worked on the UCLA and Rams coaching staffs.

Dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams, who has passed for 2,850 yards and run for 595 more, and versatile running back Jonah Coleman, who has 14 rushing touchdowns and two more receiving scores, pace the Washington offense.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Duke upsets Virginia in overtime to claim ACC title, possibly shaking up CFP picture

Published

on

Duke upsets Virginia in overtime to claim ACC title, possibly shaking up CFP picture

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Duke sent the College Football Playoff picture into uncertainty with a stunning overtime win on Saturday.

The Blue Devils secured their first outright ACC championship title since 1962 with a 27-20 victory over Virginia.

Duke quarterback Darian Mensah connected with tight end Jeremiah Hasley for a 1-yard touchdown on a fourth-down play in overtime, in what would be the deciding score.

Advertisement

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah looks to pass during overtime against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)

Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was intercepted by Duke’s Luke Mergott on the Cavaliers’ first offensive play of overtime.

Duke last won a share of the ACC regular season title in 1989, sharing it with Virginia in Steve Spurrier’s final season as the Blue Devils’ coach. 

The conference championship game was created in 2005, and Duke got there this year thanks to a five-team tiebreaker.

NOTRE DAME’S MARCUS FREEMAN MAKES CASE FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF 

Advertisement

Duke’s Dan Mahan celebrates defeating the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)

Virginia, the ACC regular season champion, would have reached the CFP for the first time in school history with a victory. While Duke is still unlikely to make the playoff field, the win opens the door for a second Group of Five team — likely James Madison — to sneak in.

JMU alums Ben Overby and James Turner were even at the game to support Duke.

“Nothing against UVA,” Turner said excitedly, “but we’re just here to support Duke.”

Advertisement

Duke Blue Devils defensive end Wesley Williams celebrates with safety DaShawn Stone after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips argued this week that his league deserved two bids: one for No. 12 Miami as the league’s highest-ranked team, the other for the Duke-Virginia winner as the league’s champion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Trending