John Harbaugh Won't Take Side In Longtime NFL Fields Debate

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh is no stranger to MetLife Stadium, having taken the Baltimore Ravens there for plenty of games. But as head coach he'll be getting to experience the stadium's infamous turf very often. What does he think about it so far?

On Monday, Harbaugh was asked about the recent decision to replace the MetLife Stadium turf with grass for the FIFA World Cup games before reverting to turf once the tournament is over. But Harbaugh sidestepped the question, declaring that if he says anything he'll get a nasty message from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. He simply replied that MetLife has a good surface.

"Oh, you're going to try to draw me in to the turf versus grass," Harbaugh said, via ProFootballTalk. "And Roger is gonna call me up and he's gonna get mad at me because I'm probably not gonna say what he wants me to say, so. That's all I'm gonna say. That's all I'm gonna say. It's a good surface out there. It's a good artificial surface, I'll say that. How's that?"

Harbaugh clearly doesn't want to upset the applecart with any comments. However, he seemed to make his true feelings on the turf vs. grass debate over a decade ago.

Back in 2015, when the Ravens' stadium switched from turf to grass, Harbaugh lauded the move, declaring that it "epitomizes what Baltimore is all about."

"It kind of epitomizes what Baltimore is all about, the history of football in Baltimore," Harbaugh said in 2015, via Jamison Hensley. "To me, a Baltimore football team should be playing on a grass field in Baltimore."

The Debate Rages On

Grass fields will be used eight times at MetLife Stadium during the FIFA World Cup and more at other turf venues. If the NFL players had their way, the grass would stay on the fields once the tournament is over.

Polling shows that a vast majority of NFL players prefer playing on grass over turf and many new stadiums wind up getting proper grass put down during construction.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 12:03 PM.