As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs, it seems that they have a problem with their practice field.
According to a report from NFL insider Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the San Francisco 49ers are “not pleased” with the practice field they’ve been given for the game.
“Sources tell CBS Sports some 49ers staffers are not pleased with the practice field at UNLV, where the NFL designated the NFC champion practice during Super Bowl week. At issue, sources say, is the firmness of the natural grass the NFL has laid over UNLV’s artificial turf ahead of the 49ers practicing there,” Jones wrote for CBS this week.
While the field meets all NFL, NFL Players Association, and independent standards, the 49ers believe the field to be too soft, with Jones reporting that their complaint is “not a health-and-safety issue as much as it’s simply a preference issue.”
Whether it’s preference or safety, this is obviously a pretty significant story leading up to the biggest game of the season, and the NFL world had a lot to say about it on social media as a result.
Complaining about the grass already ✍🏼✍🏼 https://t.co/fv2jdjcpyY
— Zack Eisen (@zackeisen21) February 5, 2024
Soft field for a soft team https://t.co/IXhQrhKrVK
— Chiefs_All_Day (@Chiefs_All_Day) February 5, 2024
Field is soft just like their team will be on Sunday https://t.co/srjExRC56e
— Whoistayvisanyway🪶 (@whoistayvis) February 5, 2024
Have the Niners spent this entire week complaining? It sure seems that way. https://t.co/htovZ8mF4P
— 🗣🎙‼️ (@LanceTHESPOKEN) February 5, 2024
Interesting. If 49ers also want to practice at Raiders facility it should not be an issue. Raiders' facility is huge, with three, full-length outdoor fields and an indoor facility, too. That is, fields ought to be able to handle two tenants for one week. https://t.co/m3Sq7cgyPR
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) February 5, 2024
It has been non stop complaining from San Fran since the championship game. Losers mentality. https://t.co/kSOsvPKLVa
— Byron 'Boref' Smith (@Byronborefsmith) February 5, 2024
As Jones points out, this situation leaves the Niners with three options.
“The 49ers have three options as it stands Monday ahead of their walkthrough. They can a) go about their business and practice on the field as scheduled; b) bring in new, firmer sod that would, in theory, be ready for practice this week; or c) negotiate with the NFL to practice at the Las Vegas Raiders practice facility where the Chiefs are located this week,” Jones wrote.
We’ll have to see what ultimately happens.
