ORLANDO, Fla. — Repairs were underway at the Citrus Bowl Wednesday after Orlando's bowl embarrassment. The grass ripped up during both the Champs Sports Bowl and the Capital One Bowl, making the football field look like a mud pit. The field will be ready for another big game in just a few weeks.
The Citrus Bowl's field should be ready for play by the end of the month when the East West Shrine game gets underway in two and half weeks. The country's top collegiate football players will step onto the field and go head-to-head January 23, just 23 days after the mud bath at the Citrus Bowl.
The disastrous playing conditions arose during the Capital One Bowl.
"I personally don't have any concern about the field or field conditions as it relates to injury," Dr. Bryan Reuss, of the Orlando Orthopedic Center, said.
Reuss is the physician for the West team. His Orthopedic group initially said several players apparently planned to skip the East West Shrine game because of the field conditions, but Reuss now refutes that.
"I have not had any information that would indicate that," Reuss said.
Reuss acknowledges football is a violent sport and nasty field conditions are just part of the game, but, even so, some thought the game should be moved to a better location.
There was talk of potential back-up sites. One suggestion was to play the game at Bright House Networks stadium at UCF, where things are a lot greener. Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs has artificial turf; that location came up as a back up site, as well.
But it looks like the game will go on at the Citrus Bowl. Workers have pulled up the sod and spent Wednesday preparing the field for replacement turf that should be in place by the weekend.
The city hopes to install artificial turf by the summer.
Previous Stories: January 4, 2010: Bad Grass Could Jeopardize Orlando Bowl Games January 3, 2010: AstroTurf Coming After Muddy Citrus Bowl Embarrassment