NFL, State Farm Stadium Slammed for Slippery Surface at Super Bowl

PHOENIX -- We're just mere hours away from the remnants of Super Bowl LVII, and the Kansas City Chiefs are still partying after their 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium.

Plenty of talking points exist on the game, though one constant point of emphasis for Fox's broadcast team during the night was the playing surface.

The NFL worked on that specific field for over two years in a independent sod farm here in Phoenix. In total, the league spent about $800,000 on the surface.

It looked great upon first reveal earlier in the week, yet during the game numerous players on both teams were slipping and sliding across the field.

Former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Haason Reddick commented on the field after the loss (h/t Zach Berman):

"Im not going to lie it was the worst field that I’ve ever played on. … It was very disappointing, it’s the NFL. You would think it would be better so we could get some better play, but it is what it is."

He wasn't the only member of the Eagles to mention it, as Jordan Mailata likened it to a water park.

Jordan Mailata said the field was “terrible.” He was sure to point out it was terrible for both teams, and Eagles/Chiefs players were talking with each other during TV timeouts about how bad it was. He said, “It was like playing on a water park.”
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) February 13, 2023

Another former Cardinals player in AQ Shipley chimed in, too.

Watching the tape from last night. Ive seen more guys slip in this game than in any game i ever watched…And im only in the 2nd quarter. Biggest stage and the NFL missed the mark big time #superbowl
— AQ Shipley (@aqshipley) February 13, 2023

This isn't the first time State Farm Stadium has been under fire for their playing surface. Most recently, the Fiesta Bowl drew a lot of negative attention due to players on both Michigan and TCU experiencing similar issues.

The NFL has used "The Sodfather" in George Toma for every single Super Bowl. Yesterday was his last. Another interesting nugget: He said yesterday's playing surface was the second-best he's ever seen before the game.

It’s inexplicable the biggest games in football have the worst field conditions. State Farm Stadium turf has stunk for 10+ years. Rose Bowl is routinely horrific. Those in charge care more about pretty grass and colors for TV than quality of play, not factoring into games.
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) February 13, 2023

State Farm Stadium creating the worst field conditions in Super Bowl history: pic.twitter.com/MrBXb6NK4V
— CantaLoupe (@CantALoupe_FF) February 13, 2023

Yet the Eagles weren't the only ones to say something about the field, as Chiefs defensive lineman Frank Clark addressed it after the win (h/t ESPN):

"The field was kind of terrible. We've had this problem in Arizona before. A lot of these stadiums try to do new tactics with the grass, they try to do new things. I've been playing football since I was 7. The best grass is grass that is naturally there."

Not a good look, NFL.