Player safety reason for Bear's preference to natural grass - Ingles

George McCaskey attended the Fire-Manchester United soccer match July 23 at Soldier Field, so he knows the fresh sod put down last month can look good.

But the Bears chairman of the board was mystified the playing surface was deemed unsafe for the team's scheduled practice and Family Fest at the stadium Friday, a stunning fumble by the Chicago Park District that has only refueled the debate of an artificial surface versus the grass that's typically in poor shape come November.

McCaskey, who visited the stadium Sunday to inspect repair of the turf that buckled at seams because the Park District failed to properly water the sod, is confident it will be in excellent condition for Saturday's exhibition opener against the Bills.

Rain over the weekend "helped tremendously," and the field now appears to be in playable condition, said Luca Serra, a spokesman for SMG, the Philadelphia-based company hired to run the stadium.

"It will be in playing condition for Saturday's game," Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner said.

The turn of events hasn't changed McCaskey's mind about what is best for the organization.

"Our primary concern is player safety," McCaskey said. "We want to prolong careers. We want our guys to be available on a week-to-week basis. The evaluation is ongoing. Every year we take a look at it. Our considered opinion is that right now the best surface for our team, primarily considering player safety, is a natural grass field."

Although SMG's top manager at Soldier Field quickly declared himself responsible for letting the sod dry too long before Friday's festivities, Serra said the sod had a higher clay content than they've seen before. That caused it to develop cracks that could have tripped up and injured the players, he said.

The sod came from Central Sod Farms of Marengo, and SMG is evaluating whether it makes sense to look for another company that might be able to provide a product that can better withstand the lakefront's weather extremes, Serra added.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel asked the Park District to find a way to make sure there's not a repeat of last Friday's sod incident, a spokeswoman said, but he doesn't want the solution to increase costs covered by the taxpayers.

Players are split on what type of surface they would prefer. Brian Urlacher has clamored for FieldTurf, but many players are happier playing on grass. If the field was better maintained, it wouldn't be a hot-button topic.

The park district would tear up the field to install an artificial surface faster than former Mayor Richard Daley ripped up runways at Meigs Field. But the Bears have the right to choose the surface, even though the Park District foots the bill. An artificial surface would be far more cost-effective.

McCaskey pledged the team would take a more hands-on role in supervising the facility, calling for a "collaborative effort." Asked if the Park District violated the team's lease, he joked that he's a recovering attorney.

"At this point, we're not concerned about the legalities," McCaskey said. "We're concerned about making sure we have the best possible playing surface for our players." This article was written by Brad Biggs and appeared in The Chicago Tribune.