The Panthers got their first taste of the new turf field at Bank of America Stadium last night at Fan Fest. Reviews from the players were generally positive. As for Carolina’s biggest star, Christian McCaffrey gave an admirable both sides answer.
“It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. We’ve gotta deal with it regardless of what I think. But there are different turfs. Some turfs are better than others. Some grasses are better than others. Obviously, grass is great, but you get a rainstorm and the grass gets terrible. That’s also not good. There’s pros and cons to both.”
The new surface will enable team owner David Tepper’s soccer venture – The Charlotte Football Club to use the stadium. It’s also coincidentally cheaper to maintain than grass.
McCaffrey also told reporters after practice that players were being a bit cautious on the surface in order to get used to it. There’s good reason for that. The NFLPA says players are 69% more likely to suffer a foot or an ankle injury on turf compared with grass.