NFLPA Rings Alarm On Cowboys-Ravens Field Conditions Ahead Of Historic Game

The Dallas Cowboys are just days away from making NFL history in the league's first-ever game in Rio de Janeiro, when they take the field at the iconic Maracana Stadium as the designated home team against the Baltimore Ravens.

Both teams arrived in Rio on Friday morning and are getting acclimated to Brazil, but there is some drama that continues to linger over the game.

A week ago, there were concerns about the field conditions at Maracana Stadium that were raised by players from Brazilian soccer club Flamengo, who complained about "bumps" and other inconsistencies on the playing surface.

Aerial photos of the field have been receiving some backlash on social media, with the shots showing the conditions are clearly less than ideal.

The Cowboys have said they are taking special precautions ahead of Sunday's game, but now the NFLPA is speaking out on the condition of the field, which is raising further concerns.

NFLPA Rings Alarm On Maracana Field Conditions In Lengthy Statement

A NFL Rio Game banner at Maracana Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

JC Tretter, who is executive director of the NFL Players Association, dropped a lengthy statement on social media bout the field conditions and the main concerns the NFPLA has been looking into.

Tretter writes, the "concern heading into this week was that the field would be loose, patchy, and lead to excessive slipping. Those conditions are generally more of a playability and performance issue than a significant injury concern."

He added, "But safety isn't the only standard. Players should be able to perform at the level they expect of themselves and that fans expect from them. A thin, slick field may not present the same risks as a surface with too much traction, but it still affects performance and the quality of the game."

Equipment has been brought in to reinforce as much of the field as possible before Sunday's kickoff, and the NFLPA has been in constant communication with the league and field experts who are on the ground in Rio.

A banner of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott at Maracana Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The NFLPA also believes the Rio situation highlights larger issues around the league, including surface issues that are below standard. When the World Cup was played in NFL stadiums across the United States, new surfaces were installed, and it was an overall success. That same standard should be used by the NFL to avoid sloppy conditions or other issues.

"We can't have surfaces that melt players' cleats, like we saw in Nashville last week. We can't have frozen fields that create unnecessary risks," Tretter writes. "The best athletes in the world should be playing on surfaces that meet the same standard of excellence we expect from them every week."

While the concerns do ring some alarm bells, the good news is that the NFLPA is confident everything will be in good shape before kickoff, which is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS. Let's hope that the players can perform to the best of their ability and that we don't come away from Sunday's game with the field surface as the main talking point.

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