Say what you will about Raiders owner Mark Davis (which usually means people say not-so-nice things about the person in question), but he cares about his players.
A.J. Perez has written a feature for the L.A. Times regarding the grass vs. turf debate, which has been fueled by multiple NFL owners bending over backwards to install grass temporarily for the World Cup. In it, Davis makes it clear that he has chosen grass because it’s better for the men who wear silver and black.
“I just always felt that football should be played on grass,” Raiders owner Mark Davis told Perez. “That’s for safety purposes, No. 1. I want it to look like a game was played even if it’s an indoor field. You see grass stains and everything else. I wasn’t going to a stadium without it being grass once I knew that capability was there. Obviously, it added a lot of cost, but it’s worth it.”
Allegiant Stadium has a grass field that slides in and out over the fixed-roof facility.
Davis could have gone with the fake stuff instead. He was willing to spend the money in order to take care of his players.
He deserves credit for that, in the same way that the owners who cling to artificial turf because it’s cheaper deserve scrutiny.
And it’s safe to say that, when it’s time for the next CBA to be negotiated, the league office will stick a clump of sod in his mouth on this specific topic.
