North Texas calls out Tennessee on Neyland’s grass

The University of North Texas let it be known that they don’t care for the condition of the grass at Neyland Stadium for their road game against the Tennessee Volunteers.

The field conditions of Neyland Stadium are becoming a growing concern for players’ safety in college football. In recent years, that turf has caused major injuries to Georgia Bulldogs running backs Keith Marshall and Nick Chubb.

The North Texas Mean Green is the newest Division I program to have issues with the “clumpiness” of the Neyland Stadium turf. This is what the field conditions of the proud Power 5 program looked like before the start of the game between North Texas and Tennessee.

The Mean Green’s official Twitter account shared a GIF that was worth a thousand words.

If it’s a team in the SEC complaining about the turf’s condition, that’s one thing. Tennessee has many in-conference rivals with their historically successful program. However, should a team not in the Power 5 call out the poor condition of the field, then it is a major concern. It makes the SEC look bad and teams may not want to take the money to come play in a stadium where opponents don’t feel is safe.

When the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, Butch Jones, comments about the poor condition of the clumpy grass of Neyland Stadium, there is certainly a problem. He told 24/7 Sports, “It is difficult when you’re slipping, and I think sometimes it creates hesitation amongst your players. But I also think it’s been an unusual season in terms of grass. I’m not a grass expert or a field expert. I think the unusual season with the rye grass and all that, that goes into it. I can tell you this: We’re well aware of it. We’re taking every precaution.”

Try engraving that quote on a decorative plate and sending to Bulldog or Mean Green fan. Jones often talks about building the Tennessee program “brick by brick.” Is that what lies beneath this grass-like surface on the banks of the Tennessee River. Tennessee, fix your field!