The NFLPA would like to see more consistency when it comes to playing surfaces at home and abroad

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The NFL Players Association would like to have more consistency in what kind of turf its members play on, be it at home or overseas.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. said Wednesday that moving forward it plans to be “assertive” when it comes to having input on field conditions, particularly as the NFL's international calendar expands.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers spent a fair amount of their opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, last Friday struggling to find their footing inside NeoQuimica Arena, which normally serves as the home for a soccer team in Brazil's top league.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley slipped while trying to take a handoff on Philadelphia's first series, and things didn't get much better from there for either team even after players switched to cleats that provided better traction.

Howell said the NFLPA and the league worked together to get the field in shape but added, “different country, different types of grass, different climate. You saw what you saw.”

Howell thinks the NFLPA and the NFL need to be “more definitive” about what it needs to create a safe playing surface before it begins talks with owners of prospective international venues. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been public about the hope of the league increasing the number of international contests it plays to as many as 16 in a season.

“If you’re dealing with FIFA (international soccer's governing body), there's really not much of a negotiation when it comes to the surface that a soccer player is going to play on,” he said. “I think as our game expands, we’ll be equally assertive about ‘These are the requirements in order to have our game played overseas.’”

The NFLPA has similar concerns about games played domestically. Howell said over 90% of players prefer natural grass.

“I think the league is awakened to the fact that we need to have more consistency, whether it’s synthetic or grass,” he said.

The NFLPA is also planning to talk to the league in the late fall or early winter about a proposed change to the offseason schedule. The Players Association would like a longer break between the end of one season and the start of another, pushing back the organized team activities and minicamps to early summer, when it would serve as a build-up to training camp.

The current model has teams having OTAs and minicamps in May and early June followed by a five- to six-week break before reporting to camp.

“It's a fact that a steady buildup into the season without any interruption reduces the injury rate,” Howell said. “We’re talking about lower extremity and soft tissue (injuries). So if you look at the current injury rate, it actually spikes in the first three weeks for a variety of reasons but one of them being you’re not having a consistent buildup into the preseason.”

Howell stressed the offseason model proposal is separate from any talks about the league expanding to 18 games, which seems inevitable. Regardless of when — or if — the schedule grows from 17 to 18, Howell said players deserve a second bye week. The league experimented with two byes during the 1993 season but quickly abandoned it.

“It’s a long season,” Howell said. “The wear and tear on the body ... everyone’s pretty much hurt and banged up. So to have a second bye week, even now, at 17 is what a lot of the guys want.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates after scoring against the Green Bay Packers during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) scores past Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata (68) during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is tackled by Green Bay Packers linebacker Eric Wilson (45) during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are extending their operating agreement with Broward County for five more years, ensuring that the team remains in the market through 2033 and likely well beyond.

County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the revised terms, which include the Panthers giving $51.5 million to eliminate remaining debt on the county-owned arena where the team plays. The current deal runs through 2028.

The updated terms also give the county two five-year options to extend the agreement even further. If those extensions are not picked up, the county will have to return some or all of the $51.5 million debt payment to the Panthers.

“It was important to the county to keep the Panthers in Broward County long term,” Panthers President and CEO Matthew Caldwell said. “We're excited about it. It's a great, great step forward for our long-term future.”

What was approved Tuesday was a term sheet. Binding documents have yet to be written, though that process is expected to be relatively smooth now that this stage has been cleared. There are concessions from both sides: The county will invest $25 million annually for capital expenditures and expenses related to the operating of Amerant Bank Arena, while the team agreed to have Broward County advertising on player helmets, to continue using local businesses as vendors whenever possible and to donate at least $11.7 million over the next nine years toward local causes and promoting youth hockey.

“Public-private partnerships have to be good for both sides, and this one is,” Caldwell said.

The team recently spent well over $65 million to refurbish the War Memorial in Fort Lauderdale, east of the team's game-night home in Sunrise, and turn that building into the franchise's practice facility with new retail and dining options. The exact amount of what the team spent on that project isn't known; $65 million was the budget, and all the Panthers have conceded publicly is that their final costs were much higher.

“People are excited that we're here for the long-term, that we're extending," Caldwell said.

The Panthers, including playoff games, exceeded 1 million in attendance last season for the first time in team history. The team — which struggled with poor attendance and constantly dealt with relocation rumors before the franchise turned around its fortunes — was ninth in the NHL in average regular-season attendance last season.

Michael Udine, one of the county commissioners, said from the dais at Tuesday's meeting that “something special” has happened with the Panthers and the Broward community in recent years.

“When I went to the first hockey game in South Florida about 30 years ago and the ice was melting when you were in the stands, if you would have said in this short period of time that we'd be No. 9 in the NHL during the regular season for attendance, I think people would have thought that you were on drugs,” Udine said. “It's a testament to what the Panther organization has done in Broward County and in South Florida.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice lifts the Stanley Cup trophy after Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. The Panthers defeated the Oilers 2-1 (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

FILE -Fans wait in line to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, at a watch party at Amerant Bank Arena, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, FiIe)