It sounded a little odd when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers blamed the turf at Raymond James Stadium for his calf injury.
So naturally, the folks who run the stadium had a response to Rodgers, specifically that he’s full of it.
Via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Sports Authority vice president of communications Bobby Silvest said the field was tested before and after the Dec. 21 game between the Buccaneers and Packers.
“The field quality tests conducted prior to and following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Green Bay Packers game on Dec. 21, 2014, as required by the NFL, indicated that the Raymond James Stadium field was well within compliance with the NFL Field Guidelines,” Silvest said. “These same tests were conducted at every 2014 Buccaneer home game at Raymond James Stadium and all were well within compliance with the NFL Field Guidelines.”
The Buccaneers have routinely ranked near the top of the NFLPA’s rankings of natural grass fields (though there hasn’t been one since 2010), and no one has lined up to back Rodgers’ claims on this one.