NFLPA Says Experts Are Monitoring Maracana Stadium Turf Ahead of Cowboys-Ravens in Brazil
JC Tretter said the players' union has been in contact with the NFL and field experts for days to address playability concerns.
- On Friday, the NFL Players Association raised concerns regarding field conditions at Maracana Stadium in Rio ahead of Sunday's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
- Heavy rainfall in the region over the past six weeks and recent complaints from local soccer players at the venue have heightened union anxieties regarding the surface's stability.
- Executive Director Tretter stated the field required "reinforced stitching" to improve traction, describing it as "more of a playability and performance issue than a significant injury concern."
- The NFL and field director Nick Pappas expressed confidence in the surface, while Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said, "I have no concerns," trusting the league's preparations.
- Tretter emphasized these conditions "reinforce one of our concerns about international expansion," questioning whether future matches should be held in stadiums where field quality cannot be guaranteed.
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NFLPA says experts are monitoring Maracana Stadium turf ahead of Cowbo
A general view of the interior of the Maracana stadium as workers prepare it for Sunday's NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
The Toronto Star
NFLPA says experts are monitoring Maracana Stadium turf ahead of Cowboys-Ravens in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The executive director of the NFL Players Association said Friday that both the NFL and the players union have had experts monitoring the field conditions
Rio field conditions underscore expansion fears, says union, as NFL offers reassurance
The NFL Players Association said field conditions for Sunday's game in Rio de Janeiro underscore concerns over international expansion, as the NFL reiterated on Friday that the surface at the Maracana Stadium would be ready for play.
Brazil will receive for the third year in a row a regular NFL season game, within the framework of the U.S. football league’s international expansion strategy. It will be the first in Rio after Sao Paulo hosted the previous commitments, but the field of iconic Maracaná has been the target of criticism in the previous days, affected by heavy rains. The conditions of the gramado “more than a problem of playability and performance” are “a major ris…
NFL players chief raises concerns over pitch for Maracana game
The NFL will stage its first ever fixture in Rio on Sunday at the Maracana as part of the league's ambitious international expansion strategy. However the state of the Maracana pitch has been a simmering controversy for days leading into the fixture following complaints at the playing surface by Brazilian soccer players last week. On Friday, NFL Players Association (NFLPA) executive director JC Tretter said slippery conditions at the Maracana we…
KMJ-AF1
thesportsleader.comNFLPA: Concerns surrounding field conditions for game in Brazil
NFL Players Association executive director J.C. Tretter has raised concerns about the playing surface at Maracana Stadium in Brazil.Tretter released a lengthy statement on Friday, two days before the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) and Baltimore Ravens (1-1) will...
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