NFL fans, especially Green Bay Packers fans, quickly blamed the league for the lower-body injury Jordan Love suffered on Friday night in Brazil. The league chose to play a controversial game at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil in Week 1.
League players were worried about their safety traveling to Brazil. The league had to take extra precautions to keep players safe. Players were warned not to leave their hotel or answer suspicious messages.
Players were slipping all over the grass on Friday night
However, a more pressing danger to player health was seen on the grass at Corinthians Arena Friday night. For whatever reason, NFL equipment staff were unable to provide materials that would keep players upright on the soccer field. Athletes being paid millions of dollars per year couldn’t adjust to the field.
The subject of the playing surface comes up way too often in the sport. Frankly, players and equipment staff need to treat the field as an obstacle in a game, instead of blaming conditions as an excuse for sloppy play.
However, players were not prepared for the conditions at Corinthians Arena Friday night. Players on the Eagles and Packers were seen slipping on almost every possession.
Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love suffered a brutal injury
On the Packers’ final possession, Love was injured when he was taken to the ground. His lower body appeared to fall awkwardly.
It’s unclear how severe the injury to Love is. Packers head coach Matt Lafleur said after the game that he did not know the nature of Love’s injury.
What we do know is that televised cameras caught Love in agonizing pain on the sideline.
There is heavy speculation that Love might have suffered anything from an ankle sprain to an MCL or ACL injury.
Depending on the severity of the injury, Love’s potential absence could put the Packers’ season in jeopardy. The Packers’ backup quarterback at the beginning of training camp, Sean Clifford, had such a bad preseason that the team traded a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for Malik Willis.
Willis and Love are the only two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Clifford is on the practice squad.
It’s hard to tell if Love’s injury came as a result of the slippy grass. It appears as though the injury could have occurred in a typical NFL stadium the way Love was grabbed by the defender and brought to the ground.
Many fans who had watched players slip and fall for three hours are blaming the grass for the injury, and by extension, the league for making this all possible. Here are some takes on social media of fans blaming the grass for Love’s injury.
