Bears Hit with ‘Illegal Towel’ Penalty for Wiping Down Rain-Soaked Field Before FG Attempt

Soldier Field was so sloppy from rain Sunday that rookie punter Trenton Gill brought out a towel to wipe down a spot on the field before a field goal attempt. But the refs were not amused.

Ahead of halftime, as the Bears set for a 47-yard field goal attempt, rain continued to plague the game. The entire Chicago area suffered from rain all day, Sunday, without much of a break.

Gill may have hoped to clean a spot for the kick, but the refs cited Gill for illegal use of a towel on the field.

Here was the call:

The odd penalty, though, comes along with years of complaints about the grass at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

While the rain this weekend was unusual for its duration and stubbornness — SB Nation noted that players were slipping and sliding, and camera lenses were blurry all day — players have complained about the field for years.

The situation probably disappointed stadium officials who thought they had a big solution for the turf problem.

Last week, Soldier Field grounds keepers were thrilled to announce that they had installed a new Bermuda sod that was going to put an end to all the complaints.

That all went down the tubes Sunday under an ocean of cold Chicago rain.

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