49ers’ Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa among NFL players calling to ban artificial turf

After scoring the first touchdown in Super Bowl LVI, Odell Beckham Jr. watched the second half from the sidelines. The veteran wide receiver reportedly suffered a torn ACL, finishing the game with two catches for 52 yards.

While Beckham's Los Angeles Rams ended up beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20, the receiver's 2022 season is at risk.

Following the non-contact injury, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel tweeted out best wishes to Beckham, sharing his opinion on artificial turf in the NFL.

Samuel isn't alone. Pennington, a grass manufacturer, launched a Change.org petition supported by several NFL players, asking the NFL to ban artificial turf, forcing venues that use it to replace it with natural grass.

"Of the 32 teams in the NFL, 16 teams still play on artificial turf, despite the undeniable risk it poses to both players and the environment," reads the petition while stating several statistics that support natural grass over artificial surfaces, including 90 percent of NFL players believing that the latter will shorten their careers.

The 49ers certainly know the hazards of playing on an artificial surface. Many believe one of the worst in the league is at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. San Francisco had to play back-to-back games there early during the 2020 season and lost two defensive linemen to season-ending ACL injuries in the span of three plays, including pass-rushing star Nick Bosa.

Several other players suffered injuries on the MetLife Stadium field, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers finished with just six wins that season.

Others 49ers players, like Bosa, took to Twitter to share the petition.

According to the NFLPA, players have a 28 percent higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries, a 32 percent higher rate on non-contact knee injuries, and a 69 percent higher rate of a non-contact foot or ankle injury when playing on artificial turf.