Ashly McGlone, Voice Of San Diego, November 15, 2016
EXCERPTS FROM THE ARTICLE:
Though customers paid $450,000 to $800,000 per field for “the best” and “the next generation of engineering excellence,” certain FieldTurf fields frayed, faded and shed after only a few football seasons, years before the eight-year warranty ran out.
At San Diego State University, athletic department emails show Coury tried to make a free warranty field replacement contingent on the purchase of a new field for a different area of campus. Coury called it a “2 for 1 offer” and “a fantastic opportunity.”
FieldTurf sued its grass supplier in March 2011, blaming it for the defect that caused field failures across the country. FieldTurf demanded money from TenCate to help pay for field replacements sought by customers.
Three years later, in May 2014, the parties settled for an undisclosed sum. Public records show FieldTurf continued to push districts to pay for an upgraded field when their fields failed in the years that followed.