“Didn’t Do Sh*t”: Sodfather Claps Back at NFL’s Handling of the Super Bowl Turf

With all the talk surrounding the horrible quality of the State Farm Arena turf on Super Bowl night last month, the NFL world finally has some definitive answer as to why so many players publicly expressed their angst with the field quality. Longtime NFL groundskeeper George Toma brought the curtain down.

In an interview with ESPN, the 94-year-old explained what truly went wrong with the field on Super Bowl LVII. He blamed a lot of it on the NFL’s Field Director, Ed Mangan. And Toma didn’t do it in the sweetest fashion.

Veteran NFL groundskeeper explains the mishap

Nicknamed ‘The Sodfather’, George Toma has been around for a very long time. And he has been responsible for the preparation and advisory responsibilities of every Super Bowl field. Including the home of the Arizona Cardinals, the venue for the championship game on February 12.

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And Toma feels that Mangan should have dried the State Farm field after watering it the Wednesday before the Super Bowl. “So what he [Ed Mangan] does, he waters the h—l out of it and puts it right into the stadium and that’s it. Never sees sunlight again. He can’t do that,” George said.

The officials also laid a tarp protection on the field for the pregame, halftime and post-game events, leading to a rotten stench coming from the field, according to Toma. George also accused Mangan of not sanding the field enough and also starting the process later than recommended. “He sanded it two weeks too late. He had only one sanding. Should have had two or three sandings, but he didn’t do s—,” he said.

A lot of players complained about the field quality

Toma doesn’t have to deal with any further backlash as he retired after this Super Bowl. And he is just glad that the league can’t boss him around anymore. “Me and the league are finished,” the ‘Sodfather’ claimed. However, his interview will resonate with a lot of players from the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles rosters who complained about the quality of the turf.

Philly O-lineman Jordan Mailata said the State Farm Arena felt like a water park. The official Super Bowl film released by the league also shows Chiefs TE Travis Kelce sending a warning to his teammates about the slippery end zones.

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Eagles defensive end Haason Reddick called it the worst field he has ever played on. Even the turf developers blamed this year’s disaster on the league. However, the NFL has still expressed satisfaction with the preparation quality and the meeting of standards. But, maybe Ed Mangan should note the feedback from Toma to avoid the slippery surfaces next year.