Browns All-Pro Joel Bitonio pushes for grass fields across NFL: 'A significant difference'

BEREA ― All-Pro offensive lineman Joel Bitonio considers himself lucky because the Browns practice and play on grass, unless inclement weather forces them into their field house at team headquarters.

After Bitonio finishes one of those indoor sessions on artificial turf, the four-time Pro Bowl left guard's body reminds him about what he deems an important issue.

“You get beat up for sure more,” Bitonio said Thursday as the Browns (3-6) prepared for Sunday's road game against the Buffalo Bills (6-3). “You definitely feel it more. You might need a little more ice or something like that. But we definitely can feel it more when we play on turf.”

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Bitonio doesn't post on Twitter often, but on Nov. 12 he joined NFL Players Association president and former Browns center JC Tretter in a social media campaign pushing for what the union insists are safer fields.

On the same day, Tretter wrote a column for the NFLPA's website in which he made four requests on behalf of the players:

• The immediate replacement and ban of all slit film turf, which Tretter explained yields higher in-game lower-extremity, non-contact and foot and ankle injury rates compared to all other surfaces

• No longer allowing games to be played on fields with clear visual abnormalities

• Raise the field standards and test the safety and performance of all field surfaces

• Clear the excess people and dangerous equipment from the sidelines

“We play one of the most dangerous sports in the world,” Tretter wrote. “It shouldn’t be more dangerous because the clubs won’t do anything to remove the simple injury risks on practice and playing surfaces. If the league wants to actually use data to drive its decisions, then do it already. We’ve been waiting for years for some of these changes.”

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It's worth noting Tretter has been publicly lobbying for NFL teams to change all field surfaces to natural grass since September 2020, about six months after he ascended to union president.

However, the fight continues, and Bitonio has the back of Tretter, one of his closest friends.

“There are statistics showing that there's injuries or more severe [injuries] or there's more lower-body injuries on turf,” Bitonio, 31, said. “But, honestly, from a player's perspective, it's a real feel thing. You go into a game and you play on turf, and you come out significantly more beat up. Your joints are more hurt.

“I was talking to [former Browns offensive lineman] Austin Corbett. I think he has two games on grass this year, the way his schedule works out, and he plays in Carolina [for the Panthers]. His knee are swollen all the time. So [it's about] the longevity of guys' careers and the way their body feels while playing on turf.

“There's a significant difference. I would want to play grass a hundred out of a hundred times, depending on weather and all that stuff. Maybe some of the littler guys might not love that, you know what I mean? But for me personally, it's definitely better to play on grass, and I just feel like it's more natural. The turf is getting better, but we're still not up to the standard of grass.”

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Defensive end Myles Garrett, 26, cornerback Denzel Ward, 25, and linebacker Sione Takitaki, 27, said they prefer playing on grass, too.

"Get rid of turf.  Go to grass," Garrett said. "I mean, it’s really been a handful of stadiums that turf [where] I racked up a lot of injuries, and some of the stars of the game have been taken out much too early for non-contact injuries just trying to plant or moving along the field doing natural movements.

"I think it’s time for a change."

Takitaki said he notices "a lot of differences" between turf and grass.

“I'm still kind of young and have not played as much ball as [Bitonio] has, but it definitely is a difference," Takitaki said. "When you're out there playing on turf, your cleats will get caught in the ground. That's how guys get hurt. I'd rather play on grass.”

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Tretter pointed out in his column seven NFL teams use slit film turf in their stadiums. They are the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.

“I'm sure the owners want turf so they can run their concerts and other events [in stadiums],” Bitonio said, “but you look at the European soccer teams, and if they come over to play here, they put down grass for those guys to play on 'cause they won't play on turf.

“If you just talk to [NFL players], I think nine out of 10 of them will tell you they enjoy playing on grass more than they do turf. ... It's something that the NFLPA feels strongly about, and we'll kind of see where it goes.”

Of course, the Lions' playing surface will be relevant to Bitonio and Co. this weekend. The Browns and Bills will play Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit after the NFL moved the game from Orchard Park, New York, because of a snowstorm.

"That turf's definitely crazy," Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, 23, said. "I got a couple of tips from my Lions brothers. You know, we've got a lot of [former] Notre Dame [players] on the Lions. So they were like, 'Yeah, be careful,' but I'm a player that knows how to play on different turf."

Long snapper Charley Hughlett conducts union business on behalf of his Browns teammates on the NFLPA board of representatives. The co-alternates on the roster are Bitonio, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. and quarterback Joshua Dobbs.

Drafted in 2014, Bitonio is the longest-tenured Browns player. As he has gotten older, his desire for grass fields has only become stronger.

“I know the NFLPA has been doing these studies,” Bitonio said. “They've been doing cleat studies. We talk about player safety. We want our best players on the field. So if it's a small percentage of things, 5, 10%, like with cleats, with field, with things of that nature, helmets, let's do it.

“I think we make enough money as an organization and as a team and players to try to take those steps to really push for player safety.”

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns' Joel Bitonio advocates for grass fields across NFL