Concerned about the new playing surface at Gillette Stadium, the NFLPA has asked the New England Patriots to repair what it believes to be a field that poses an injury risk to players, according to NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah.
"It's a reminder to all teams that they can't have players on [shoddy] fields," Atallah said.
The NFLPA recently sent its field inspector to Gillette Stadium to inspect the new playing surface, and found the field "borderline actionable."
The field, which was susceptible to having cleat marks left in the surface, was improved before Sunday's game against the visiting Texans.
"Player Health and Safety remains a top priority of the NFLPA and we sent our field expert to Gillette stadium to evaluate the newly installed FieldTurf. The Gmax numbers that reflect surface hardness came back extremely low, indicating a very soft field; however, the testing results passed the NFL Mandatory Practices for field surface testing," read a statement released Monday by the NFLPA.
"We have encouraged players to consult their equipment managers to ensure they are not wearing cleats that will penetrate too deep into the surface which would increase the risk of lower extremity injuries. The NFL Foot & Ankle Committee has coordinated extensive research on athletic shoe safety and performance. Based on the results, the Committee has provided the information to all clubs.
We will continue to monitor field testing and work to establish evidence-based standards for the safety and performance of NFL playing surfaces across the League."