Longtime NFL groundskeeper George "The Sodfather" Toma is placing blame on the league's field director, Ed Mangan, for the turf issues during Super Bowl LVII.
The 94-year-old Toma, who prepared or consulted on every Super Bowl field, believes the slippery conditions were due to the turf being overwatered in the days leading up to the game, he told ESPN's Josh Weinfuss.
"(Mangan) waters the hell out of it and puts it right into the stadium - and that's it," Toma said. "Never sees sunlight again. He can't do that."
Toma added that the field had a "rotten smell" and wasn't sanded enough.
Players from both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs slipped on the turf at Arizona's State Farm Stadium throughout the Super Bowl. Several players sounded off on the poor conditions after the game, including Eagles defensive end Haason Reddick, who called it "the worst field that (he) ever played on."
The day after the game, the NFL said the field was tested throughout the week and "met the required standards for the maintenance of natural surfaces."
Toma retired after Super Bowl LVII and voiced displeasure over how the NFL responded to other field issues in the past.
"Me and the league are finished," he said. "They can't tell me what to do anymore. We're done."
