As more information comes out about the rate of injuries in the NFL, a number of players are speaking out in favor of the real surface instead of the artificial stuff.

Los Angeles Rams star Cooper Kupp tweeted Saturday, calling this an "age-old issue" and one that is worth a discussion between players and teams.

This debate comes after ESPN's Kevin Seifert posted data on Twitter earlier this week showing the difference in injury rates between playing on grass and turf.

According to the data obtained by Seifert, which dates back to the 2018 season, there has been virtually no difference in injuries to lower extremities based on the playing surface:

The 2019 season featured the single-biggest difference between non-contact injuries on turf compared to grass, but the gap closed in each of the next two years. The 2021 season saw virtually no difference between the two.

Despite what the data says, players are still speaking out with the hope of making the surface at every stadium grass.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle publicly lamented the lack of consistency in playing surfaces last month after his teammates Emmanuel Moseley, Samson Ebukam and Aaron Banks were injured during a road game on artificial turf against the Carolina Panthers.

While the data obtained by Seifert does show a negligible rate of injuries on non-contact plays from the previous four seasons, previous data from league studies done between 2012 and '18 shows a high rate of injuries.

Former NFL offensive lineman JC Tretter, who is the president of the NFL Players Association, wrote an article in September 2020 about the difference in injuries suffered on different playing surfaces over that time frame:

"Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass."

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll addressed the grass-turf debate during an Oct. 26 press conference.

"I think we definitely need to look at this really seriously in the offseason again," Carroll told reporters. "It's been a discussion before. We've got to do what's right, and we've got to do what's safest for the players, and we've got to make those choices. I would pound on the drum for that."

Carroll's comments came three days after a Seahawks-Los Angeles Chargers game at SoFi Stadium in which DK Metcalf and J.C. Jackson got injured on non-contact plays. SoFi Stadium uses an artificial playing surface.

Metcalf was limited to 20 offensive snaps against the Chargers, but he was back in the starting lineup for Seattle's next game on Oct. 30. Jackson suffered a season-ending ruptured patellar tendon in the second quarter.

Despite the calls from players and some coaches to at least look into the playing surface, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan (h/t Jon Machota of The Athletic) the league doesn't see it as a problem.

"Our league stats don't see issues with the type of surface that we have as opposed to natural grass. We don't see issues," Jones said. "No facts bear that out."

Of the 30 NFL stadiums across the country, 14 use artificial turf.