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The NFL Players Association is monitoring turf conditions at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro ahead of an upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens due to concerns about loose turf from recent heavy rainfall. Union experts, including executive director JC Tretter, are working with the league to improve traction by reinforcing the stitching on the field surface before Sunday’s match. Both organizations are committed to ensuring player safety amid challenges posed by the climate in Brazil during early spring.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Nick Pappas, the NFL's field director, expressed confidence in the condition of the turf at Maracanã Stadium for the upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens on September 27. Despite concerns raised by the NFL Players Association about loose and patchy grass leading to safety issues, groundskeepers used scissors and a new GrassMaster Stitch Machine to improve traction and stability just days before the match. The league aims to ensure player safety while still hosting international games in Rio de Janeiro. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson acknowledged past experiences playing on poor fields but emphasized focusing on winning rather than worrying about turf conditions.
Written for “Ravens-Cowboys Game Rio” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.
The executive director of the NFL Players Association said Friday that both the NFL and the players union have had experts monitoring the field conditions at Maracana Stadium ahead of Sunday’s game between Dallas and Baltimore, and that the union’s experts are worried about loose turf leading to too much slipping.
asserted
turf → say → slipping
JC Tretter wrote in a lengthy post on social media that players union officials have been talking regularly with the NFL to make sure the field is safe and playable for the league’s latest visit to Brazil.
asserted
field → write → Brazil
That included union experts suggesting better traction to make the field more stable.
asserted
field → include → traction
“They recommended reinforced stitching to help the surface hold together and brought in equipment to reinforce as much of the field as possible before the game,” Tretter said.
asserted
Tretter → recommend → game
“Our experts will remain engaged and continue evaluating conditions through kickoff.”
asserted
experts → remain → kickoff
Maracana Stadium has been hit by unusually heavy rainfall over the past six weeks.
asserted
Stadium → hit → weeks
Nick Pappas, the NFL’s field director, told The Associated Press from Rio de Janeiro that the league shipped a tarp there to help protect the turf.
asserted
league → tell → turf
A crew has been on site since Monday preparing the stadium.
asserted
crew → prepare → stadium
“We’ve got to have plans in place to ensure that you can mitigate the weather the best you can and, right now, we feel we’re in a good spot,” Pappas said.
asserted
Pappas → get → spot
The NFL has been playing in Brazil since 2024.
asserted
NFL → play → 2024
Some tickets remain for Sunday’s game in the considerably larger venue.
asserted
tickets → remain → venue
The stadium made news this week after some soccer players raised concerns about the field conditions, though the NFL says it’s confident the playing surface will be fine.
asserted
surface → make → conditions
The 78,000-seat Maracana Stadium has hosted two World Cup championship games, Olympic gold medal matches for men and women, and numerous clashes between South America’s biggest teams.
asserted
Stadium → host → teams
Now the Ravens and Cowboys will play one of a record nine international contests on the league schedule this season.
asserted
Ravens → play → schedule
Tretter said this week highlights bigger issues surrounding field standards for safety and performance, saying both the NFL and NFLPA have made progress.
asserted
NFL → say → progress
Tretter noted players’ cleats melting in Nashville last week during Philadelphia’s win over the Tennessee Titans or frozen fields creating “unnecessary risks.”
asserted
fields → note → risks
There have been field-related issues at two of the three games in Brazil, and Tretter said that’s not a coincidence with the climate at this time of the year — it’s early spring in South America — making it challenging to maintain the grass surface expected for NFL games.
asserted
it → relate → games
“We owe it to them to provide the best possible opportunity to succeed,” Tretter said.
asserted
Tretter → owe → opportunity
“Players can overcome a lot.
asserted
Players → overcome → lot
But they shouldn’t have to overcome the field.”
asserted
they → have → field
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