George Toma, the NFL’s longtime groundskeeper for fields located at Super Bowl sites, reportedly claims that the grass field inside State Farm Stadium for Super Bowl LVII contained too much water leading up to the game, according to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss.
The NFL faced criticism for the quality of the field as several Chiefs and Eagles players experienced difficulty with their footing during the game.
Toma, known as “The Sodfather” around the league for his groundskeeping expertise, said the turf was watered and brought into the stadium on a moveable tray on the morning of Feb. 8, four days before the big game. The 94-year-old told ESPN that the field should have remained outside to dry before being brought inside the stadium.
Toma blames the NFL’s current Super Bowl field director, Ed Mangan, for the problem at hand.
“He waters the hell out of it and puts it right into the stadium and that’s it,” Toma told ESPN. “Never sees sunlight again. He can’t do that.”
The turf inside the stadium in Glendale, Ariz., was Tahoma 31, a hybrid type of grass composed of Bermuda and rye grasses. The turf was grown in Scottsdale, roughly 20 miles from the stadium. Toma previously had used rye-based grasses for more than two dozen fields at Super Bowls.
In addition to the oversaturation, Toma also said the field was releasing an unpleasant odor and showing signs of decomposition and corrosion. Further, the field did not appear to Toma to be adequately sanded.
“It had a rotten smell to it,” Toma said. “He sanded it two weeks too late. … He should have had two or three sandings, but he didn’t do s---.”
After more than eight decades performing groundskeeping at Super Bowls, Toma decided to retire following Super Bowl LVII, citing his frustration with how the league handled field issues at Super Bowl sites in the past.
“I can’t take it anymore,” Toma said. “They can’t tell me what to do anymore. We’re done.”
Despite Toma’s frustration, the league released a statement to ESPN, saying that State Farm Stadium “met the required standards for the maintenance of natural surfaces.” The statement also included that the “grass surface was tested throughout Super Bowl week and was in compliance with all mandatory NFL practices.”
