Former Chicago Bears safety Antrel Rolle blames unsatisfactory field conditions at Halas Hall for the season-ending knee injury he suffered last November.
"The surfaces in the Chicago facilities are the worst I’ve ever been around, I’m just gonna be honest with you," Rolle told the New York Post. "I slipped on the surface, I wasn’t even running -- I was just kind of shuffling and slipped."
The Bears released Rolle, 33, on Sunday after he played in just seven games in 2015.
On the final play of Friday’s practice leading up to Chicago’s Nov. 22 game against the Denver Broncos, Rolle tore the MCL in his right knee. Rolle missed the next two weeks before the Bears placed him on injured reserve. The 33-year old safety also missed two games in October with a high right ankle sprain.
At the time, Bears coach John Fox provided few details on Rolle’s practice-field injury other than to say Rolle was hurt in a non-contact workout.
Rolle told the New York Post he is fully healthy and that he participated in Chicago’s voluntary offseason program without restrictions prior to being released.
Before joining Chicago, Rolle had been extremely durable since he entered the league as a first-round pick in 2005. He missed only one game while a member of the Cardinals and Giants from 2006 to 2016.