Super Bowl 57 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was hindered by the slippery turf. The NFL believes it's the players' fault for the conditions.
Super Bowl 57 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was nothing short of entertaining. Whether it was Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts' record-breaking performance, or the Chiefs' second-half comeback led by Patrick Mahomes to lead the team to a 38-35 win. If there was one aspect of the game that was ridiculed, it was the condition of the turf at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. Throughout the game, players were spotted slipping and sliding across the field. The turf cost the NFL $800,000, and they were ridiculed for the choice.
According to ProFootballTalk, the NFL has privately blamed the players' cleats as the reason why there was so much slipping and sliding during the biggest game of the NFL season.
NFL blames players' cleats for slippery Super Bowl 57 field conditions
Players were spotted changing their cleats during the big game to try and get the proper traction. But, one person with knowledge of turf conditions said in late February that the cleats were not the issue.
Former NFL groundskeeper George Toma is known as "the Sodfather," for working on the field conditions for every single Super Bowl. While speaking with ESPN, Toma placed the blame on NFL field director Ed Magnan for the field being "overwatered." Specifically, Toma noted that the retractable field was watered on the Wednesday before the game, and it was brought into the stadium. From there, it didn't get any more sunlight in the lead-up to the game.
"So, what he does, he waters the hell out of it and puts it right into the stadium and that's it. Never sees sunlight again. He can't do that," said Toma.
Additionally, Toma said that the field had an odor because a tarp was placed over it due to rehearsals, and that the turf wasn't sanded enough.
While Toma believes that the lack of care for the turf played a role in the slippery conditions, the NFL believes it was the cleats. Let's just say that the field conditions for Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas will be heavily monitored due to the controversy this past year.