Sports talk radio icon Mike Francesa blasted the NFL’s decision to debut a new style of mixed grass during Super Bowl LVII.

The game took place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where the field has grass instead of the turf-style fields that many stadiums in the NFL have. The league decided to use a unique version of grass for the biggest game of the season. The sod was a combination of two types of Bermuda grass and Ryegrass. The newly bred grass was developed through research funding by the USGA (United States Golf Association), and the name of the grass is called Tahoma 31.

The NFL used the new grass in Super Bowl LVII for the first time, and the results were questionable. Players from the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles continued to slip and fall as the night went on. Francesa blasted the league on The Mike Francesa Podcast Sunday night for their poor decision to try new grass in the biggest game of the season.

“Did you know that the NFL actually planned for years so that you would have that grass on the field tonight?” Francesa said.

He explained how the USGA funded the development of Tahoma 31 and how long the grass had been researched before the league decided to use it in the Super Bowl. He only saw a mess for the players on the field.

“The NFL planned so they can go out there tonight and ruin the damn game by turning it into an ice skating rink!” Francesa said. “What genius decided this was the night to get that grass and that that grass was ready because, you know what? That person should not be around the next Super Bowl. That destroyed the game tonight!”

“That field was an embarrassment!” Francesa said.

According to ESPN, NFL field director Ed Mangan was the person who decided to use Tahoma 31 for Super Bowl LVII. That was the 35th big game Mangan worked on in his career.

Francesa theorized that the poor field conditions might have impacted the Eagles’ defense, who did not record one sack throughout the game.

“Clearly, we watched 80 different players fall down or lose their footing,” Francesa said. “I mean, that was a folly. This is the Super Bowl, and you’re spending a fortune on the game. And you’re going to have a field like that on grass that’s never been tested before?”

“And you develop this grass just to put it in for the Super Bowl and have that happen? You gotta be kidding me. The NFL should be embarrassed,” he said.

Francesca was not the only fan who realized the field’s condition was below standards. Twitter users and media coverage blasted the NFL during the Super Bowl for the slippery situation. Fox coverage, for example, highlighted Eagles kicker Jake Elliott after he slipped on a kickoff and almost rolled his ankle.

The NFL has faced major controversy surrounding artificial turf in connection to players’ injuries. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Cupp recently advocated for all the fields to be grass. He suffered a torn ACL in the 2018 season, on a turf field at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles. Players argue that the grass has more give under their feet compared to the turf.

Listen above via The Mike Francesa Podcast.

The post Mike Francesa Rips NFL For Trying Out New Grass For First Time During Super Bowl: ‘That Destroyed The Game!’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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