A view of Corinthians Arena prior to the Green Bay Packers-Philadelphia Eagles game in Brazil Getty Players from both teams kept slipping under loose field conditions AFP NBA legend LeBron James expressed his dismay about the conditions of the grass Twitter awfulannouncing An Eagles player has his cleats cleaned during the international game Getty
According to a well-placed source, the league was unhappy with field conditions, security around Corinthians Arena and an inability to put on fan events outside of the game.
“It was not that good of an experience, and we are a lot of people that are expressing regrets that we had that game in Brazil,” says the insider.
“We couldn’t do most of the things we usually do when the game in overseas, and it is very, very frustrating.
“I don’t think that this kind of experience is going to be done again there.”
On the very first offensive play for the Eagles, star running back Saquon Barkley slipped on his first carry, resulting in a loss of five yards.
There were other instances of players slipping during drives, including Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks falling on a potential long gain and wideout Christian Watson on a throw to him in the end zone.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love was also badly injured with just seconds remaining in the 34-29 victory for the Eagles.
“Man, this field sucks!!! GB vs PHI,” the 39-year-old wrote on X along with a shaking head emoji.
LeBron wasn’t the only NBA star to chime in on the topic.
New York Knicks ‘ Josh Hart revealed his take on the NFL’s handling of the field.
“Yea NFL don’t care with this field,” he said.
But the biggest concern for the NFL was the lack of events surrounding the game to engage local fans.
“The security was very heavy, the time and space to do things was too tight, there were way too many limitations to our actions and ideas,” the source added.
“The overall experience was pretty disappointing as we couldn’t do the same things that we do in Germany or England for example – youth camps, meet up with the players, events in the city, with the fans, and even some parties.
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“We were forbidden to do so, and it is not what we expected.
“It was a unique experience, but people aren’t gonna push to have it happen in Brazil again, that is the vibe now in the league.”
According to another source, the game was considered a bad “mistake” that will not be repeated.
“This experience was a flop,” the insider said.
“The organization was a nightmare and we couldn’t maneuver the way we wanted to.
“This experience is for sure not profitable, and a lot of money was spent on that game.
“For once, we made a mistake, and we don’t want to repeat this kind of experience.
Brazilian singer Luisa Sonza performs the Brazilian national anthem prior to the game Getty
“Everyone complained, from the players to tons of people from the staff, and it was not a good experience, quite the opposite.
“We made a mistake and we won’t repeat it, as many people in the office and the league agree on this.”
Due to the extreme limitations in Brazil, the NFL is likely to concentrate its efforts on key markets in Europe for future international games.
“We have to focus on Europe, not only England and Germany but Spain, Italy and France between others,” the source said.
“And maybe other continents like Asia, for a preseason game. We have to go back to Mexico as soon as possible too.
“The fans were fantastic in the stadium in Brazil, but it wasn’t enough for the league.”
Packers quarterback Jordan Love was injured seconds before the end of the game Getty
TRUMP called the new kick off dumb or stupid, NOW let's hear from you lefties? IS TRUMP RIGHT? I KNOW HE IS 💯% RIGHT! Harris said she isn't going back? Let's go back to the OLD kickoff!
Jim Duester
45m ago
nfl wants to play in foriegn counties set up anther league similar to the CFL and set over Goodall over to run and get him out of the nfl
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