Von Miller blasts NFL trend in rejected Draft commercial
Buffalo Bills pass rusher Von Miller tried to make a statement on Thursday night, but his draft day commercial was allegedly rejected. Miller sent a tweet on Thursday evening that featured a video of a commercial with Pennington Lawn that touches on the dangers of artificial turf for NFL players. According to Miller's tweet, the […]
Buffalo Bills pass rusher Von Miller tried to make a statement on Thursday night, but his draft day commercial was allegedly rejected.
Miller sent a tweet on Thursday evening that featured a video of a commercial with Pennington Lawn that touches on the dangers of artificial turf for NFL players.
According to Miller's tweet, the video was rejected from airing on draft day, though he doesn't specify who rejected the commercial.
"The game would take a toll on you, twisted ankles, torn ACLs, your body pushed to the brink," says Miller in the video. "We all knew the risks when we signed up, but why do injuries have to come direct from the field? I'm talking about artificial turf. It's taken down teammates, even myself."
"They try to say it's safe, but we know — we're the ones out there battling," adds Miller. "We need real grass, it's what the game was built on. This moment (draft day) is supposed to be something special. But until it turf is off the field, draft day will always be painful. It's time to put the players first. Get turf off the fields and bring back grass."
According to Pro Football Network, 14 of the NFL's 30 stadiums use turf, including Buffalo's Highmark Stadium, which is where Miller plays his home games.
Miller has suffered a couple of injuries related to turf. Most recently, Miller tore his ACL on Thanksgiving day this past season while playing against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit.
Turf is a bit of a necessity in some instances. Domed stadiums, as well as outdoor stadiums in cities like Buffalo, can make a natural grass field a bit of a challenge. Miller, however, clearly has player safety at the front of his mind and that's something the NFL needs to take seriously. At the very least, the league should look into Miller's concerns and attempt to figure out how to install safer playing surfaces for the 14 stadiums still using turf.
