NFLPA Flags Rio Field Concerns Before Cowboys-Ravens

NFL Players Association executive director JC Tretter says the Maracanã Stadium field in Rio de Janeiro needed better traction and stability ahead of Sunday’s Cowboys-Ravens game, the NFL’s first in the city. NFL and union field experts have monitored the surface and reinforced it, including with stitching, while continuing evaluations through kickoff. Tretter said a loose, slick field may chiefly affect playability rather than pose a major injury risk, but can still undermine player performance and game quality. He also called for field standards that address both safety and performance, citing recurring field concerns in Brazil as grounds to reconsider the pace of the NFL’s international expansion. The league has said the game remains scheduled and that it can manage the field conditions.