According to AOL Fanhouse, the Bears and Vikings have no desire to create the 1967 “Ice Bowl” when the two teams square off on Monday Night Football and Chicago players may actually protest playing at TCF Bank Stadium.
Vikings players have expressed concern about the safety of playing at TCF Bank Stadium Monday night. The Bears may take it one step further.
According to reports, the Bears might file a protest about playing the game at the University of Minnesota’s football field because of safety concerns. The league is planning on the game being played at that venue, although that may change if the venue can’t be properly prepped in time.
Meanwhile, players are worrying about the frozen turf, which lacks heating coils under the surface like other cold-weather venues.
Bears safety Chris Harris commented on his Twitter page, saying, “Players have concerns of traction n the impact of falling on surface that could be as hard as asphalt. What if ur head hits it.”
I can hear the comments now coming from fans about how the players should toughen up and embrace the elements. How the great ones used to have to play on horrible field conditions every week and how there were no heating coils at Lambeau Field in ’67.
But while I agree the players have become too pampered, I won’t be the one on Monday night trying to play on a sheet of ice so I’m not going to bemoan them for not wanting to do it either. It would be nice to see the Vikings return to their outdoor roots for one game, but if the field isn’t safe then the field isn’t safe. (Whatever “safe” can be classified as.)
Move the game to another location and call it a day.
