Odell Beckham Jr. on turf after Sterling Shepard's ACL injury: 'Get rid of it all'
NFL fans everywhere had a similar reaction when New York Giants receiver Sterling Shepard went down with a non-contact injury during Monday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys. It was absolutely awful to watch and later confirmed to be a torn ACL.
And many, including free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., want to see something done about artificial turf in outdoor stadiums - specifically, at MetLife Stadium.
Beckham - who is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in last season's Super Bowl - spent five seasons with the Giants and knows all too well how rough that turf can be on a player's body. Notably, Beckham was playing on turf both times he suffered a torn ACL.
After watching Shepard go down while simply running in a straight line, Beckham had seen enough. He called out how ridiculous it was that the Giants play on artificial turf.
"Just get rid of it all," he said on Twitter, "... Billions made off this game I can't understand why we can't play on grass."
Obviously, natural grass is more forgiving on a player's body. But MetLife Stadium is shared between the Giants and New York Jets. It's hard to imagine a natural grass field holding up to that much wear and tear - along with the New Jersey climate in the winter months. But at the very least, something should be done to address the turf at MetLife Stadium. The 2026 World Cup will require natural grass at the venue. So, if it can be done for that - might as well get a head start on it now.