The Sodfather has spoken about the less-than-ideal field conditions during Super Bowl 57.
George Toma, the retired NFL groundskeeper who has worked on numerous Super Bowl fields, came to the defense of rye grass and kind of threw one of his former co-workers under the bus, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss.
Toma, known as “The Sodfather” for obvious reasons, says that the Super Bowl field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, was overwatered, leading to the slippery conditions that garnered criticism.
“So, what he does,” Toma said, referring to Ed Mangan, the NFL field director who was in charge of the Super Bowl field and worked under Toma for years, “he waters the hell out of it and puts it right into the stadium and that’s it. Never sees sunlight again. He can’t do that.”
Former NFL groundskeeper George Toma said the Super Bowl LVII field was overwatered, via @joshweinfuss:https://t.co/NL9PTYZ62Z
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2023
The Sodfather also threw shade on how the field smelled (yikes) and how it was sanded.
A tarp was laid over the field to protect it from the rehearsals for the pregame, halftime and postgame shows, Toma said, and that led to the field emitting an odor. Toma said he was told during the week that the field was starting to decay and rot.
“It had a rotten smell,” he said.
Toma also alleged that Mangan did not sand the field enough.
“He sanded it two weeks too late,” Toma said. “He had only one sanding. He should have had two or three sandings, but he didn’t do [expletive]. And that was it. And not only that, he didn’t take care of it. He wouldn’t listen to anybody.”
Toma also leaped to the defense of rye grass, which he said he had used on plenty of Super Bowls in the past with no trouble.
The Sodfather did not sound very happy with the NFL, and he was not afraid to speak his mind on it.
Super Bowl LVII was Toma’s last. He retired after more than 80 years in the groundskeeping business. “I can’t take it anymore,” said Toma, who said he hasn’t been pleased with how the NFL responded to field issues at Super Bowl sites in the past.
“Me and the league are finished,” Toma said. “They can’t tell me what to do anymore. We’re done.”
If somebody wants to make a movie out of The Sodfather’s falling out with the NFL and the drama that followed, we’ll buy the first ticket.
