Nashville Heat Reportedly Melts Players’ Cleats

Extreme heat at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium caused NFL players’ cleats to soften or melt during consecutive Tennessee Titans home games. Titans safety Amani Hooker said his cleat midsoles came completely off during the team’s Sept. 13 loss to the New York Jets, while Eagles lineman Cam Jurgens reported that two pairs of cleats melted during Philadelphia’s 24-20 win over Tennessee on Sept. 20. Temperatures reached the mid- to upper 90s, with synthetic turf reportedly becoming far hotter, prompting players and staff to spray cleats with water during the Eagles-Titans game. Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata cited the conditions as evidence for the players’ union’s argument against artificial turf, which the Titans installed in 2023. Philadelphia won on Jalen Hurts’ late touchdown pass, improving to 2-0 while Tennessee fell to 0-2.