Green Bay Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari was one of the first people to react after seeing former teammate and good friend Aaron Rodgers go down with a shocking injury in his first-ever drive with the New York Jets. Bakhtiari was incensed by the heartbreaking turn of events, and for his part, the Green Bay Pro Bowler has a clear idea as to what caused A-Rod’s Achilles tear.
Green Bay Packers David Bakhtiari Doubles Down on Turf Theory
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Bakhtiari did not hold back and he immediately called out the NFL on Twitter over the turf field in New York’s MetLife Stadium. In his mind, the All-Pro tackle is adamant that this is what caused Rodgers’ season-ending injury.
While some folks might think this is nothing more than a random rant by a very outspoken Bakhtiari, the truth is that there is a deep understanding behind his bold accusations. The 31-year-old has been in the game long enough to know why the artificial turf can do more harm than good for the players.
“You’ve got to understand the force going through your body, not only what you’re generating through your joints and your ankle, your knee and your hip, but also the force being applied to that opponent and what they have to do to counteract that,” Bakhtiari said on Wednesday, via Bill Huber of SI.
Bakhtiari also believes that the Rodgers situation could have been totally different if he wasn’t playing on a turf field:
“In my honest opinion, I think on grass, I think you could have had a different outcome. Could. I’m not alluding that it 100 percent would have been different or wouldn’t have, but I would have rather seen it on grass and then chalked it up to, ‘That’s football.’
“Because right now, there’s another variable. You can’t change anything else in that situation other than the surface. And that’s the one thing we know can add to injuries. You can’t change anything about Aaron’s body or Aaron’s age or anything like that, or the play. You can change the surface.”
David Bakhtiari Calls for Immediate Change
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In spite of this devastating injury to one of the greatest players this game has ever seen, Bakhtiari doesn’t believe this will change much in terms of the league’s outlook on turf. As such, the Packers star is calling on the fans to take action:
“I think, at the end of the day, it’s the owners’ decision and they only like to be in front of the spotlight when they want to, so they know how to manipulate and be behind,” Bakhtiari continued. “Honestly, I think the fans can play a huge part. You love this game, you appreciate this game, you guys have an outcry, I guarantee you the owners will do what’s right for the game and, correspondingly, for us players.
“I think that’s huge. I know for all of us players, we love our fans, we appreciate you guys, and I think that would be a great way for the players and the fans to come together to do something better for everyone involved. I really think, at the end of the day, it’s a bottom-dollar thing. It’s a budgeting thing. It’s easy. I totally get it. If I’m a businessman, I would love to put a carpet out there, let people run around, then throw a stage on there the next day and have a concert, and then have someone lightly groom it.”
More than a few folks out there will disagree with Bakhtiari’s all-encompassing statements here. However, he has a message to the naysayers:
“Anyone that has a different (opinion), then I’m like, ‘Go put on the pads, go play a game,” he said. “Come try and play a football game with us on grass; you see how you feel, anyway, from that. Now wait a week and go play a game on turf, and you tell me the difference. You’re going to be like, ‘Holy [crap]. [To heck with] that.’”
That’s a pretty compelling argument if you ask me.
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