NFL avoids major Super Bowl embarrassment – for now – with 49ers' practice field problem

LAS VEGAS – Maybe Deebo Samuel,–fornow– the dynamo receiver with so much swagger, can set the record straight about the condition of the practice fields the San Francisco 49ers are tasked to work on this week at UNLV.

After all, the reports have not been good on this ramp-up to Super Bowl 58.

"Go ask Kyle," Samuel replied during the kickoff media session inside Allegiant Stadium on Monday night.

That would be Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers coach, who fielded a similar question at his podium several yards away.

"Go ask Deebo," Shanahan said.

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The questions seemed legit enough after a report from Jonathan Jones of CBS revealed that the 49ers were dissatisfied with the practice fields because they were not firm enough after the NFL installed two natural grass fields on top of the artificial turf fields. The 49ers logistics team, including members of the equipment staff and grounds crew, initially raised concerns during a visit last week to UNLV, which was followed by a visit from GM John Lynch. The 49ers had a light walkthrough session on the fields on Monday and will conduct a full practice on Wednesday – after the team apparently determined there is no feasible alternative.

By Monday night, the 49ers had essentially squashed the issue. We think.

"No situation," Shanahan declared. "The players were good with it today and they will be good with it on Wednesday."

Although NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed concerns during his news conference on Monday afternoon, maintaining that the fields were "very playable" and had passed inspection that meets minimum standards, an alternative plan for the 49ers to practice at the Las Vegas Raiders headquarters – where the Kansas City Chiefs are practicing – was floated as a possibility.

Goodell, though, seemed to be having none of that. He vehemently defended the quality of the fields.

"We've had 23 experts out there," Goodell said. "We've had the union out there. All of them think that's a very playable surface. It's softer than what they have practiced on, but that happens. It's well within all of our testing standards. It is something that we think – all of our experts, as well as neutral field inspectors – have all said, unanimously, that it's a playable field."

An official for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) contacted by USA TODAY Sports had no comment, maintaining that the union will address the issue publicly on Wednesday when its new executive director, Lloyd Howell Jr., will conduct his first news conference since succeeding DeMaurice Smith. The NFLPA in recent years has been adamant in raising concerns about the quality of fields and the risks to safety.

In this case, a year after criticism surfaced regarding the condition of the gameday field used for Super Bowl 57 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the 49ers' primary beef is apparently measurable. According to Jones' report, the 49ers prefer a field with a firmness of 70g (units of gravity), while the practice fields installed at UNLV measured at 50g. Without a surface installed between the sod and the artificial turf, the fields were described as "spongey."

Perhaps the solution comes with raising the standards. In any event, the 49ers are resigned to take it as is.

"We'll deal with what we've got," Shanahan said. "We're good. We're not going to change our schedule."

Imagine the disruption that would have ensued if the 49ers had to revamp their practice schedule due to shoddy fields. Talk about the need to limit distractions. Switching practice sites at this point would have been a logistical nightmare.

The optics for the NFL would have been even worse. It would have been a huge embarrassment if one of the teams in the NFL's signature event had to find an alternative practice site.

Just think: A league worth billions can't even ensure that there are suitable practice fields for its showcase event?

It's seemingly a hypothetical question now, in part because the 49ers have dropped the issue. It's unknown whether the 49ers were pressured by the league to move on, but it seems clear that the NFL has avoided some embarrassing drama.   

Shanahan said that he's "not worried at all" about the conditions of the field. "It improves each day."

Maybe George Kittle, the thoughtful and loquacious 49ers tight end, can provide the straight scoop.

Or, maybe there's no headline there.

"I'm playing football in February. I have nothing to complain about," Kittle said from his podium on Monday night. "I'm in Las Vegas, at the Super Bowl playing football with my teammates for an extra week. There's only two teams doing it. I have nothing to complain about. No issues for me."

Then again, where's Allen Iverson when you really need him to talk about practice?