Jared Goff and the Lions said the artificial turf at Bank of America stadium felt "like cement" during Detroit's loss to Carolina last week, and the NFL Players Association heard them.
The NFLPA has filed a grievance against the NFL and the Panthers for said field conditions, according to Adam Schefter. The NFLPA reportedly wanted a delay before the game and another once it had begun to address the issue, but the game went on as scheduled with a 1 p.m. start.
Goff, who ripped the conditions after the Lions' 37-23 loss, said the turf slightly softened over the course of the game, which kicked off with a temperature of 20 degrees and a wind chill of 9 degrees. It was the Panthers' coldest home game in the 26-year history of Bank of America stadium.
“I thought the field conditions were below NFL-level standard, specifically pregame,” Goff said. "I don’t know what the deal is here, but they need to figure out a way for the turf to not feel like cement.”
Goff added this week that he's played on turf in similarly cold conditions in the past, but a sub-field heating system kept it relatively soft and safe. The Panthers apparently don't have such a system at Bank of America Stadium.
Some of the Panthers themselves have complained about the turf this year. Veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson told the AP in November, “They make enough money off of us to maintain grass. I hate to say this, but with our last owner, we had grass. … Listen to your players. We want grass.’’
Ideally, the grievance will yield a change.