Aaron Rodgers has spoken for the first time about his season-ending injury against the Buffalo Bills on Monday.

Just four plays into his New York Jets debut, the superstar quarterback was sacked by Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd and suffered a complete tear of his left Achilles tendon.

“Thank you to every person that has reached out, called, texted, DM’d, connected through a friend, etc. It has meant a ton to me, and I’ll try and get back to all of you soon,” Rodgers wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

“I’m completely heartbroken and moving through all of the emotions, but deeply touched and humbled by the support and love. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin the healing process today.

“The night is darkest before the dawn. And I shall rise yet again,” Rodgers added before saying he was proud of his teammates for securing a thrilling 22-16 win against the Bills.

Much of the NFL talk throughout the offseason surrounded Rodgers’ trade to the Jets. The four-time NFL Most Valuable Player had been traded from the Green Bay Packers, where he was drafted in 2005, and there was plenty of excitement about his arrival in New York.

‘The game cheats you sometimes’

“Honestly, initially, it didn’t feel real,” Jets tight end Tyler Conklin said on finding out about the length of Rodgers’ injury as New York players spoke to the media for the first time since the injury on Wednesday.

“We all just really feel for Aaron, right? How much he cared. How excited and not just how excited everybody in this place was to see him play and to play with them, but it’s how excited he was to, I’m sure, just prove so many people wrong, prove yourself for all things that he probably wanted to do,” Conklin continued.

“It really hurts. It’s hard to really imagine what he’s going through.”

Rodgers was the new star attraction in New York and many of the young Jets players would have grown up watching the Super Bowl XLV champion during his peak years with the Packers.

“I just wanted to take a carry from eight (Rodgers), man. Just get one from a great man. The game cheats you sometimes and I ain’t get that,” running back Dalvin Cook admitted.

Yet, despite the heavy setback, there is optimism among the Jets squad that Rodgers will be able to shake this injury off.

“I know he’s in surgery here soon and he’s going to attack this rehab and I think he’ll probably heal faster than anyone has ever seen someone come back from Achilles,” Jets center Connor McGovern added.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh also provided some hope that Gang Green fans will get to see Rodgers put the jersey on again.

“I’d be shocked if this is the way he’s going to go out,” Saleh said during Wednesday’s media availability. “He’s working through a whole lot of headspace things that he needs to deal with, and that will be the last thing I talk to him about.”

The quarterback community

Also showing their love for Rodgers were other past and present NFL star quarterbacks.

Reigning Super Bowl champion and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes told reporters that the injury to Rodgers “sucks” for the game of football.

“It sucks for not only him and his team but for the entire league because he’s such a great player, someone that a lot of guys have looked up to throughout their entire career,” the Kansas City Chiefs star told reporters.

The Chiefs are set to face the Jets on October 1 and Mahomes is disappointed that a quarterback battle against Rodgers won’t be happening.

“You want to play teams at their best. I’m just praying for him that he’ll be able to heal himself, rehab and hopefully [come] back again next year and we maybe can get the opportunity then,” said Mahomes.

“This is not the ending, this is not supposed to happen this way,” Manning added. “Hopefully, he can get a speedy recovery and he can do it again next year.”

Turf war

Since Rodgers suffered his Achilles tear, there has been much discussion over the use of artificial fields in the NFL.

While many believe that they are bad for player welfare, Manning does not believe this caused Rodgers to suffer his injury.

“I was never worried about the turf. I never got injured because of turf. I played in that stadium and in the old stadium, played in MetLife. So I honestly believe that the turf had nothing to do with that injury. I think it was just unfortunate,” Manning explained.

Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said science will play an important part in whether the league continues to allow players to play on turf pitches.

“That’s where we make decisions: on the basis of science, not because I see an injury that I don’t like. Ultimately, I want our experts to come back and give it to us,” Goodell told ESPN on Wednesday.

Goodell said that it is a complicated issue because of the many different factors that could have led to the injury.

“We’ll look at the mechanism of injury on Aaron’s injury and see what may have caused that. But unfortunately, we had two ACL injuries. One was on grass and one was on the turf … From our standpoint, that’s something that we’ll look at. We’ll look deeply at it. We always want to try to get the best surfaces,” Goodell added.

Hurricane Lee continues to creep toward New England, where hurricane and tropical storm watches have been issued for much of its coastal residents in anticipation of the colossal storm’s possible impact on Friday and through the weekend.

Lee’s winds could begin to buffet portions of New England as early as Friday as the storm’s center is expected to pass close to the region’s southeast before barreling near or over Maine and Atlantic Canada over the weekend as a “large and dangerous cyclone,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

Though the storm – now a Category 2 hurricane – is expected to weaken as it approaches, it will still have a massive radius of damaging winds that will be significantly felt along coastal New England and Canada’s Atlantic provinces.

“Hurricane conditions, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding are possible in portions of eastern Maine on Saturday,” the National Hurricane Center said. The area is under a hurricane watch, as is parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

“Life-threatening” storm surge flooding could inundate parts of southeastern Massachusetts late Friday and Saturday, the agency said. A storm surge watch has been issued for the area, including Cape Cod and Nantucket.

A tropical storm watch has also been issued for large swaths of coastal New England, including Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Lee was about 295 miles southwest of Bermuda as of 5 a.m. ET Thursday and was churning with maximum sustained winds of up to 100 mph, according to a hurricane center advisory.

The storm is on track to sweep past Bermuda to its west Thursday, prompting an island-wide tropical storm warning.

Even if Lee doesn’t make landfall in New England, the sprawl of its damaging winds means there will be “little to no significance on exactly where the center reaches the coast,” the hurricane center has said.

As of Thursday morning, hurricane-force winds extend up to 105 miles from its center and tropical storm-force winds stretch for up to 290 miles, according to the agency.

And that wind field has only been growing larger, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lt. Commander Josh Rannenberg, who flew through the storm’s eye on Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall could overwhelm already rain-drenched stretches of the Northeast, where saturated ground may be particularly susceptible to flash flooding.

Over the past two weeks, parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire have been soaked with rainfall levels more than 300% above normal values, according to weather service data. The downpours have already triggered dangerous flooding in areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island this week.

The softened soil combined with raging winds will also increase the likelihood of downed trees, which in turn could knock out essential power lines and cause outages across the region.

In the long history of colonial rule in Asia, the shadow of Denmark does not loom large.

It would be fair to say that few Indians and even fewer Danes are aware that this northern European nation had a foothold in India from 1620 to 1845. That foothold was Tranquebar, a small trading outpost far down eastern India’s Coromandel Coast.

Though it’s now a nondescript town in Tamil Nadu state called Tharangambadi, just 120 kilometers (72 miles) south of famed French outpost Puducherry, traces of Danish rule remain tantalizingly evident.

A prime example is the Bungalow on the Beach, a beautifully restored old colonial building on the Bay of Bengal seafront that was originally used as a courthouse during Danish times. Years later, when the British arrived, it was converted into an official residence.

Today, it’s a charming hotel.

Restoration efforts began in 2004 and it opened to guests in 2006 under the stewardship of the Neemrana Group, which runs a chain of luxury boutique hotels in India.

The hotel has only eight rooms, each named for a member of Danish royalty, and evokes a strong feeling of nostalgia with high ceilings, wooden floors and antique furniture.

The top suite – the Crown Prince of Denmark – offers a nod to its history. Accessible via a spiral staircase with wide, wooden steps, the comfortable room features a large four-poster bed with mosquito netting, a planter’s lounge chair, a wooden writing desk and a narrow but modern bathroom.

However, the hotel’s unique selling point is the spacious balcony that runs right around the building, offering a stupendous view of the ocean.

At night, the Bungalow on the Beach lights up brightly, standing like a beacon on the shore. Meals are served downstairs on the patio adjacent to the large garden, including a wide selection of delicious regional South Indian and European specialties.

The ethos of the Neemrana Group has been to discover and restore old buildings and structures which, in the words of co-founder Aman Nath, “are uniquely located, to imagine the life and laughter within and to make the dead past come to life again.”

Historical buildings near the hotel include the old Dansborg Fort (more on that later), and just beyond the hotel’s private swimming pool and right on the rocks is the 700-year-old Masilamani Nathar temple, built in 1306 by a king of the Pandya dynasty.

This colorful structure, which pre-dated the Danish arrival, combines elements of Chinese architectural design with traditional building techniques, an indication of the influence of the Chinese merchants who were frequent visitors to India at the time.

The accidental discovery of Tranquebar

Why did the Danes call their new settlement “Tranquebar?” According to historians, they were unable to pronounce the tongue-twister native name of Tharangambadi, which translates to “land of the singing waves.” (The town has since returned to using Tharangambadi as its official name.)

But the fact that the Danes even set foot in India in the first place was a bit of an accident.

It all started when 23-year-old naval commander Ove Gedde set out from Lisbon in November 1618 under the flag of the Danish East India Company, with the blessings (and financing) of King Christian IV.

His mission was to aid the Emperor of Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), who was under siege by the Portuguese, and in exchange secure trading rights for Denmark.

But by the time Gedde arrived in early 1620, after an eventful journey around the Cape of Good Hope, during which he lost two-thirds of his 300 soldiers in battle with pirates or disease, the Portuguese were in full control.

Disappointed that his mission had failed, Gedde and his small fleet of three schooners and two frigates drifted up the Coromandel Coast until they dropped anchor at Tharangambadi.

He quickly struck a deal with the Indian ruler at the time, the equally young Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore state, to lease a parcel of land and obtain exclusive trading rights in exchange for a tribute of Rs 3,000 ($37) per year.

And so, in November 1620, two years after Gedde had set sail from his homeland, the Danish outpost of Tranquebar was born.

The Dane immediately set about building a small fort right on the beach, facing out to sea. Called Dansborg, it was meant to house the first Danish inhabitants.

By Indian standards, the still-standing fort is unimpressive. Located next to the Bungalow on the Beach, it’s only two stories high and quite weather-beaten by the wind and the waves.

But it is the most important landmark of Danish rule in India and at its peak was the second most important Danish castle in the world after Kronborg, which guarded the sound that separates Denmark and Sweden.

Dansborg was built in the Scandinavian military style with stone walls and mounted cannons, taking the form of a large trapezoid containing a substantial landscaped garden.

Today, one can enjoy a pleasant walk along its ramparts, which offer superb views of the Coromandel seascape.

The main building of the fort houses a small museum where the barracks used to be. On display are interesting documents, including a copy of the sale deed between the Danes and the British, old maps of the town and a collection of miniature Danish ships that docked at Tranquebar.

Expanding the Danish footprint

Though the Danes had a signed treaty with Nayak, the latter proved to be a fickle ally. Constant waves of depredations from Nakak’s forces led them to fortify Tranquebar with a wall, a moat and several cannon towers.

Feeling more secure, the Danes moved out of the Dansborg Fort and built several stately homes in the European style to house officers and civil servants.

Gradually, the section of town nearest to the fort began to assume a European character with a grid street plan, Protestant churches and schools.

The only access to the town was controlled by the Land’s Gate, an unpretentious white stone structure bearing the coat of arms and insignia of the King of Denmark, which is the first thing one sees when entering Tharangambadi now.

The Danes also realized that they needed an industrial hinterland to make their trading post viable so, when they renegotiated the treaty in 1670, they acquired additional villages and minor districts for a total land area of 32 square kilometers.

The workshops in this expanded territory churned out cotton textiles for export to the European market in addition to the traditional cargo of pepper, cardamom, cloves and other exotic spices, as well as saltpeter, coffee, sugar, teak and bamboo.

On their return to India, the Danish ships brought silver coins and bars as well as ballast goods such as lead, copper and iron; initially, European consumer goods had extremely limited appeal in the colonies.

Protestantism arrives in India

Among the attractions offering more insights into this era is the Ziegenbalg Museum. Opened to the public in 2017, it sits in the former residence of German-born Danish missionary Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg.

Ziegenbalg was sent to Tranquebar in 1706 by Lutheran monarch Frederick IV to plant the flag of Protestantism on Indian soil.

He was a rarity in those times, eschewing the quarters assigned to him within the Danish commune and instead immersing himself in native life and becoming fluent in Tamil, the local language.

He raised money for churches and schools, and shipped over a printing press from Denmark (which can now be seen in the Ziegenbalg Museum). He used it to print a Tamil version of the Bible – the very first Indian-language translation of the Holy Book.

Unfortunately, the passionate young missionary’s frequent clashes with the local Danish establishment took a severe toll on his health.

He died at the very young age of 36 in Denmark. His remains were brought back to his beloved India and he lies buried in Tharangambadi’s New Jerusalem Church, which can still be visited today.

The Danish chapter comes to an end

In the early years, Tranquebar did well and the population of the territory grew to 15,000 people by 1730 of which about 3,000 lived in the town, with about 10% of the latter being European.

Over the long run, however, the Danes struggled to make their new colony in the East work.

The fortunes of Tranquebar waxed and waned like the great waves that lashed the shores of the little town.

Back home, the 17th century was characterized by a series of wars between the great powers of Europe as they scrambled to divide up the continent.

When the Danes were not involved, their trading companies prospered by virtue of their neutral flag under which they could conduct trade unimpeded, very often in secret arrangements signed with the warring parties.  But when they were involved, their companies suffered as their maritime trade was directly hit by the tensions.

Three Danish trading companies were given the right to manage the administration, defense and operations of Tranquebar and to cover their expenses through the collection of land taxes and overland and maritime trade duties.

However, income from maritime duties was highly unstable, leading directly to the bankruptcy of the first two companies. The Danish government had to step in and take over from one of the companies in 1777.

The textile factories and warehouses shut down, the Danes began to leave as the dominant British moved in and the importance of Tranquebar continued to wither into the 19th century.

Finally, Denmark struck a deal with the British in 1845 to sell their former possession for Rs 1.25 million ($15,033), thus bringing to an end this unique chapter in Danish-Indian history.

Looking to the future

Fast forward to the 21st century and the revival of Danish interest in their cultural heritage and legacy in Asia. The Danish Tranquebar Association (DTA), founded in 2002, has been a driving force in renovating and transforming Tharangambadi’s historic landmarks.

Its president, Poul Petersen, prefers to take the Ziegenbalg approach: “We are here as friends and not invaders – we wish to build on our common heritage with India in a peaceful and cooperative way.”

The DTA earned the trust of the locals following the horrific tsunami of 2004 as they stepped up to rebuild homes, buy new boats and construct a 300-meter granite protection wall along the coast.

Since then, cooperation between the DTA, the Danish National Museum (DNM), INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department has resulted in the renovation of Dansborg Fort, the Land’s Gate, the old Danish cemetery and the Governor’s Bungalow. Meanwhile, work has started on the Danish Commander’s House.

The Governor’s Bungalow is a stately building with a large, central veranda and a double front colonnade, which was restored in 2011, but still remains under lock and key while the Commander’s House hosts the Danish-Indian Cultural Centre and currently consists of a maritime museum and a library.

But work still needs to be done to boost the town’s tourism offerings. Though the Tamil Nadu government designated Tranquebar a heritage town in 1992, there is a glaring lack of any decent hotel accommodation besides the Bungalow on The Beach.

Meanwhile, basic tourist infrastructure, whether physical like a tourist information center, restaurants, cafes and public restrooms or digital like a proper website and social media presence are lacking.

“If Tranquebar is to realize its potential as a historic tourist destination then a coordinated strategic plan involving all stakeholders including local residents is absolutely essential,” says Prabhakar Rao, Danish Vice-Consul for South India.

Indeed it pales in comparison to vibrant and lively Puducherry, and besides visiting the old Danish buildings and museums, there is little else to do.

Nevertheless, this Danish chapter in the rich and varied history of India’s colonial rule is a brief but interesting one, making Tharangambadi/Tranquebar well worth a visit for any history buff.

A cruise ship carrying 206 passengers and crew remains stranded in Greenland after repeated attempts to free it, but morale on board is said to be high despite an outbreak of Covid.

The Ocean Explorer ran aground in Alpefjord, a dramatic and rugged stretch of Greenland’s eastern coastline on Monday. A Danish naval vessel is en route to assist but officials say poor weather has delayed its expected arrival to late Friday.

Three passengers on board have Covid-19 and have been placed in isolation, tour agency Aurora Expeditions, the ship’s operator, announced Thursday. All others aboard are said to be healthy and safe.

“Importantly, there is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment,” an earlier statement from Aurora Expeditions said.

“That is the biggest concern I have,” she said.

“I had swimming lessons before I came and I’m a good swimmer. So look out: I could be swimming back to Iceland.”

The Ocean Explorer has made several unsuccessful attempts to free itself on tidal currents in the past few days, according to a statement from Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC).

A larger Danish naval vessel, the Knud Rasmussen, has been dispatched to assist, according to the JAC, but has faced a journey of 1,200 nautical miles (around 2,222 kilometers) to reach the cruise ship.

“As soon as we realized that the Ocean Explorer could not get free on its own, we sent a ship towards the wreck,” Arctic Commander Brian Jensen said.

“We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer, from its grounding. Our foremost commitment is to ensure the vessel’s recovery without compromising safety,” Aurora Expeditions said.

Danish military personnel boarded the cruise ship on Tuesday and said all 206 people aboard were “doing well,” according to the Danish Armed Forces on Wednesday.

The ship was “purpose-built for expedition travel to the world’s most remote destinations,” according to the official website for Aurora Expeditions.

The prime ministers of two small island nations that face ongoing impacts from rising sea levels will appear at legal hearings at an international court in Hamburg, Germany, on Monday, and seek an advisory opinion on the obligations of countries to combat climate change.

Prime Ministers Kausea Natano of Tuvalu and Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda will give evidence at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which will consider whether carbon emissions absorbed by the ocean should be considered marine pollution, and what obligations nations have to protect the marine environment.

The tribunal will issue an advisory opinion, which is not legally binding, but offers an authoritative statement on legal matters that could guide countries as they craft climate protection law.

The prime ministers, representing the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS), will argue that countries have an obligation to protect the marine environment under the UN convention on the Law of the Sea, including from greenhouse gas emissions.

“We come here seeking urgent help, in the strong belief that international law is an essential mechanism for correcting the manifest injustice that our people are suffering as a result of climate change,” said Tuvalu’s Natano.

Excessive carbon pollution results in damage to the oceans, including coral bleaching and acidification.

Low-lying island states like Tuvalu and Vanuatu are also at risk of becoming submerged by water by the end of the century due to slow-onset climate impacts.

Small island nations have also sought legal clarity on nations’ climate obligations in other courts. Vanuatu led a campaign to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on countries’ obligations to address climate change.

The UN General Assembly in March voted to refer the case to the ICJ, which will issue an opinion in 2024.

Romania defeated Kosovo 2-0 in a EURO 2024 qualifier on Tuesday, but the match was suspended in the 18th minute after “discriminatory behavior from some supporters,” according to UEFA’s website.

A section of Romanian fans held up a banner that read ‘Kosovo is Serbia,’ while some members of the home end chanted “Serbia, Serbia,” according to Reuters.

The game was temporarily paused, with the referee taking the players off the field.

It also said it “firmly condemns provocative messages of a political, ideological, religious or insulting nature” and confirmed law enforcement had identified those involved.

“A legal investigation will be conducted according to the facts committed,” it added.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, following the 1998-99 war in which Kosovar Albanians attempted to break from what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, made up of today’s Serbia and Montenegro. NATO intervened in the war to protect Kosovo’s Albanian majority.

Serbia views Kosovo as a breakaway state and does not recognize its independence. Kosovo’s Serbs view themselves as part of Serbia, and see Belgrade as their capital, rather than Pristina.

Meanwhile, Romania does not recognize Kosovo, which has caused tension between the two.

The game was eventually restarted, with Kosovo being reduced to 10 men just before the half-time interval when Vedat Muriqi was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul.

Although it took much of the second half for the hosts to break the deadlock, Romania finally exploited its numerical advantage and moved ahead in the 83rd minute through Nicolae Stanciu, before Valentin Mihăilă doubled the lead in added time.

Romania moves into second place on 12 points in Group I, while Kosovo dropped to fifth position and remain winless on four points.

Jude Bellingham, Robert Lewandowski, Luka Modrić – those are just some of the big names currently playing in LaLiga.

Now, the Spanish soccer league has linked up with the biggest name in the sport. Or, more accurately, the longest name: Welsh team Clwb Pêl Droed Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch Football Club.

The team, based in North Wales and more commonly known as CPD Llanfairpwll FC, is set to be sponsored by LaLiga throughout the current season.

The league’s “LL” logo will appear on the front of Llanfairpwll’s jerseys, which also bear the town’s full, 58-letter name on the club crest.

“This really is an outstanding partnership for us,” Samantha Jones-Smith, the club’s chairwoman, said as part of a LaLiga press release. “Not only is it the most exciting collaboration the club has ever had, but it also allows us to improve both on and off the field.”

According to the press release, the jersey will debut on Saturday as Llanfairpwll, currently playing in the fifth tier of Welsh soccer, faces Holyhead Town.

“We’ve got a great group here who are really committed to bringing success to the club,” said manager Gwydaf Hughes.

“This new partnership with LaLiga brings further professionalism to our side, and I know the lads can’t wait to wear the new kit with pride from this Saturday and throughout the season.”

The coastal village, located on island of Anglesey, is said to have the longest town name in Europe. It’s not the original name, but was devised in the nineteenth century by a local cobbler as a way to attract tourists to the area.

Llanfairpwll, which next year celebrates its 125th anniversary, isn’t the only Welsh team to achieve international distinction. Wrexham, under the ownership of Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has become a globally recognized name in recent years and last season gained promotion to League Two, the fourth tier of English soccer.

Hurricane and tropical storm watches are now in effect for much of coastal New England as Hurricane Lee threatens to deliver a blow to parts of the region as well as Atlantic Canada later this week and into the weekend.

“Hurricane conditions, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding are possible in portions of eastern Maine on Saturday,” the National Hurricane Center said. A hurricane watch has been issued for the area, it said.

The center also warned there is potential for “life-threatening storm surge flooding” in parts of southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and Nantucket late Friday and Saturday. A storm surge watch has been issued there.

A tropical storm watch has also now been issued for a large part of coastal New England, the center added.

Lee’s winds could arrive as early as Friday evening for portions of New England.

The massive storm, which remained a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday evening, was churning about 380 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, according to a 5 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Bermuda ahead of Lee’s brush with the island Thursday.

Lee will weaken, but the storm’s impacts beyond its center will be significant because of its colossal size, which has grown considerably since the weekend. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center, and tropical storm-force winds extend out up to 265 miles.

And that’s why a weaker storm isn’t less hazardous. A larger storm carries the potential to impact a more widespread area, increasing the likelihood that Lee will affect New England. And the waterlogged region is particularly susceptible to damage from strong winds and additional rainfall.

Regardless of its exact track, the storm’s impacts are expected to be widespread in New England, even if it doesn’t make landfall.

“Due to Lee’s large size, hazards will extend well away from the center, and there will be little to no significance on exactly where the center reaches the coast,” the hurricane center has said.

The soil across much of New England is already soaked. Rainfall in parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire is more than 300% above normal values over the past two weeks, according to weather service data. Destructive flooding already occurred in parts of Massachusetts earlier this week.

More rainfall this week ahead of Lee will prime the environment for flash flooding, so even moderate amounts of rain from Lee could be dangerous.

The combination of tropical storm-force wind gusts and saturated soil will also bring down trees more easily, especially since trees across New England are still in full leaf. This raises the risk of a higher number of power outages across the region.

Meanwhile, dangerous surf is affecting the southeastern US coast from Florida through the Carolinas. The risk of rip currents now spans the East Coast from Florida to coastal Massachusetts.

For New York Jets fans, it was a feeling of sadness, despondency and familiar memories; a star quarterback injures his Achilles tendon in the first game of the season for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.

While Vinny Testaverde’s 1999 season-ending injury hurt, for a team with realistic dreams of lifting a first Super Bowl title since 1968, Aaron Rodgers’ complete tear of his left Achilles felt like being punched in a still sore gut yet again.

For many neutrals, it was a feeling of disappointment at seeing an NFL great being ruled out until September next year, if he decides to return at all.

But for some of Rodgers’ fellow NFL players, the reaction to the 39-year-old’s season-ending injury was more visceral.

Watching one of their ranks be so cruelly struck down just four plays into a debut season with a new team, especially with so much excitement around the Jets, was gut-wrenching, and criticism has begun to rain down on league officials in an ongoing debate about playing on artificial turf rather than grass.

The most vociferous of those calls came from Rodgers’ former Green Bay Packers teammate and close friend David Bakhtiari who published a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, suggesting that the artificial turf used at MetLife Stadium – the Jets home stadium where Rodgers sustained the injury – played some role in the four-time MVP’s Achilles tear.

“Congrats [NFL]. How many more players have to get hurt on ARTIFICIAL TURF??!” the five-time All-Pro left tackle posted. “You care more about soccer players than us.

“You plan to remove all artificial turf for the World Cup coming up. So clearly it’s feasible. I’m sick of this..Do better!”

In another post, Bakhtiari said: “Can we put an end to this sh*t already.”

Although six MLS teams play their home matches on artificial turf, all matches at the 2026 World Cup will be played on natural grass. In the NFL, 17 of the 32 NFL franchises play on an artificial surface of one form or another.

Bakhtiari’s calls were echoed by his fellow long-time Packers teammate and now Jets wide receiver Randall Cobb.

“We wanted the NFL to protect the players with grass fields, but the NFL is more worried about making money,” Cobb told reporters after the Jets’ win over the Bills, per The Athletic.

“Profit over people, it’s always been the case. I’ve never been a fan of turf. That’s my stance.”

In an ESPN interview on Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would rely on science to figure out the turf debate.

“That’s where we make decisions on the basis of science, not because I see an injury that I don’t like. Ultimately, I want our experts to come back and give it to us,” he said.

“When you look at the turf, you’ve also got to look at the cleats, and there are a lot of factors and it’s a complex issue.”

After the game on Monday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh downplayed speculation about the role the new turf field at MetLife Stadium played in Rodgers tearing his left Achilles tendon.

“If it was a non-contact injury, I think that’d be something to discuss obviously, but that was kind of a forcible – I think that was trauma induced,” Saleh told reporters on Tuesday, though he added: “I do know the players prefer grass and there’s a lot invested in those young men.”

Real or artificial

Synthetic turf was first introduced in the mid 1960s when the Houston Astrodome, known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” was opened as the home to the Houston Oilers.

Because it was cheaper and required less upkeep than grass, synthetic turf became popular across the league in the 1970s and 80s. The springier surface also allowed for faster, more explosive levels of action.

However, a desire to shift away from artificial turf to natural grass has been advocated by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), whose president, JC Tretter, wrote in April: “For more than a decade, players have been speaking out about their strong preference to work on natural grass over synthetic playing surfaces.

“Players have shared stories about how their bodies feel after playing on turf compared to grass, and the injury data for nearly a decade supports those anecdotes.”

In the article, the NFLPA referenced a “large media offensive” by the NFL to “push back against the historical data and players’ experiences” on artificial turf.

Tretter highlighted analysis shared by the NFL and collated by IQVIA – a third-party company that provides results to the league, the NFLPA and medical and football committees – indicating that injury rates between the two surfaces had gotten better from 2018 to 2021.

However, he argued, looking at data further back showed injury rates on synthetic surfaces were higher than on natural surfaces.

In 2021, the difference between the number of injuries sustained on the two surfaces was significantly smaller than previous years. However, the NFLPA president believes that single year is an anomaly and that there is a need for change.

Tretter also cited a study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2018 that showed higher rates of lower body injuries sustained on artificial turf than on grass.

In the study, injuries were studied between 2012 and 2016 and it found that play on synthetic turf resulted in a 16% increase in lower extremity injuries per play than that on natural turf.

“Instead of following the long-term data (which is clear on this issue), listening to players and making the game safer, the NFL used an outlier year to engage in a PR campaign to convince everyone that the problem doesn’t actually exist,” the former Packers and Cleveland Browns center said.

Tretter concluded: “The NFL and team owners have the resources to fix these safety issues with fields, and it is inexplicable why there is such a failure to protect players on an issue that EVERYONE knows is a problem.

“It makes absolutely no sense for European soccer clubs to visit the US every year … and play exhibition games at NFL stadiums on high-quality natural grass while NFL players are subjected to greater risk on artificial surfaces.

“And it is absolutely appalling that owners are more willing to provide safe fields for soccer players than for the football players who are the primary workers on those fields – and who, in many cases, helped pay for the stadiums where those fields lay.

“As much as the NFL wants to ignore the grass field issue, the data and their actions will continue to demonstrate their callous hypocrisy.”

At a virtual news conference on Tuesday, Jeff Miller – NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs & policy and health & safety – said there was no difference in rates of Achilles injuries between natural grass and synthetic surfaces dating back to 2015.

“Because an injury happens on a surface doesn’t mean that it’s actually caused by that surface and, in this case, we haven’t seen a data difference for Achilles injuries,” Miller said.

“There’s a lot more work to do. We don’t want those injuries in the game. We want to prevent those that we can, especially major injuries like those and we’ll continue to do that through the data, through the research and through a great deal of effort.”

When asked on Tuesday what message it sends to league players that a few stadiums change their surface from artificial to grass for soccer and then revert back to the synthetic field for football, Miller said: “We do spend a lot of time thinking about surfaces and their injury rates and how those relate to how our game is played in the particular use cases for football.”

He added: “There are certain natural grass surfaces that from an injury rate perspective have a lower injury rate than synthetic surfaces and some synthetic surfaces that have a lower injury rate than natural grass.

“We want to drive all of those down and the only way to do that is to understand the characteristics of each of those surfaces and how they contribute to injury or don’t contribute to injury.”

In a statement on Tuesday, NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell questioned why “inferior artificial surfaces” were acceptable for the NFL.

“Moving all stadium fields to high quality natural grass surfaces is the easiest decision the NFL can make,” Howell said.

“The players overwhelmingly prefer it and the data is clear that grass is simply safer than artificial turf. It is an issue that has been near the top of the players’ list during my team visits and one I have raised with the NFL.

“While we know there is an investment to making this change, there is a bigger cost to everyone in our business if we keep losing our best players to unnecessary injuries.

“It makes no sense that stadiums can flip over to superior grass surfaces when the World Cup comes, or soccer clubs come to visit for exhibition games in the summer … This is worth the investment and it simply needs to change now.”

Discussions over the injury risk of playing on artificial turf or grass isn’t confined to the NFL.

A review of studies published in eClinicalMedicine in April concluded that the overall incidence of injuries in soccer “was 14% (7%–21%) lower on artificial turf than on grass” and that “men and women both had lower injury incidences on artificial turf.”

While the debate is sure to rage on in the NFL between the players and the league, what remains is a shocked fan base, team and a player whose dreams of raising the championship trophy have been deflated by a major injury.

Ruben Flowers stumbled across the photo by accident.

It was early 2023 and he was thumbing through photo albums at his grandmother’s house. Suddenly, there it was: a snapshot from 1994, taken in an airplane flight deck, depicting him as a toddler, sitting next to his pilot dad.

In this picture, Flowers is looking at his dad in admiration. His father smiles at the camera, ready to fly the plane.

Flowers had forgotten the photo existed, but seeing it again, he was flooded with memories of growing up, inspired by his father. He’d loved their trips to the airport, tagging along to the training center, taking a go on the simulators. He’d beamed with pride when his dad talked about his job at the school careers day.

And the timing of the rediscovered photo was perfect: Flowers, now 30, was just about to follow in his father’s footsteps and begin flying as a First Officer for Southwest Airlines.

Meanwhile Flowers’ father – also called Ruben Flowers – was nearing retirement and readying for his final Southwest flight as Captain.

The two men were excited to briefly overlap at Southwest and hoped they’d get an opportunity to fly together.

“It was a dream of mine to make it to this point to fly with my dad, it was probably my number one aviation goal.”

First Officer Ruben Flowers

After rediscovering the old photo, the two Flowers men added a coda to the goal: not only did they want to fly together, they wanted to recreate the 1990s flight deck photo, over two decades later. Not just as father and son, but as colleagues and co-pilots.

Cut to March 2023 and the older Flowers was flying his final Southwest flight, piloting an aircraft from Omaha, Nebraska to his home city of Chicago, Illinois. His son was by his side, as his first officer.

“That was an awesome feeling,” says the older Flowers. “To look over there and see my son, next to me, for my last landing.”

And, naturally, they recreated the 1994 photo, both grinning happily in the 2023 version.

“It was just great to be able to recreate that moment,” says the younger Flowers. “It was a dream come true moment.”

Family affair

Also on board the older Flowers’ retirement flight was his brother and his cousin, who both work for Southwest too. In case you hadn’t realized by now, flying truly is a family affair for the Flowers.

“There are seven of us,” explains the older Flowers. “Me. My brother’s a pilot. I have three kids, all pilots. And my brother’s son is a pilot and my cousin is a pilot. And it’s just amazing to me that they all wanted to be pilots.”

At family events and on holidays, the Flowers family try to keep work talk to a minimum “but there’s always a story that sparks it off, and then it gets into aviation,” as the younger Flowers puts it.

The Flowers family aviation legacy began when the older Flowers was a kid growing up in Michigan in the 1960s and 70s.

“A pilot one day asked me if I wanted to come up to the cockpit. And I did it,” he recalls. “And oh, my God, it was like the bug bit me – I wanted to be a pilot. And from that point on, I just focused on being an airline pilot.”

Once he qualified, the older Flowers made it his mission to inspire others to follow in his footsteps. The fact that ended up including many of his loved ones was accidental. He says he always encouraged his kids to explore whatever they loved, whatever that might be.

The younger Flowers says that while he grew up in awe of his dad and proud of his work, he didn’t officially decide to become an aviator until midway through college.

Looking back now though, he thinks the signs were always pointing in that direction.

“It was always something that was probably in the back of my head that I probably wanted to do all my life,” he says.

Working as a team

The older Flowers’ retirement flight was always going to be emotional, and having his son by his side only made it more so. He says it’s not surprising that when they pulled into the gate “some tears came down.”

The younger Flowers says the in-air, father-son working dynamic wasn’t dissimilar from “doing the lawn together, or something of that nature.”

“It just worked out smooth and naturally, and it went great,” he says, although he adds he was definitely trying to “impress” his dad with his skills and competency.

The older Flowers says he was aware the flight was a one-off opportunity for him to pass on flying intel to his son in situ.

“It went really well, it was nice and smooth,” he says of the experience. “And it was an awesome feeling – making a PA to the passengers, and they find out there’s a father and son up there in the cockpit. Everybody clapping…”

Continuing legacy

While the older Flowers has now left Southwest, his legacy lives on at the airline – not only via his son, but via other aviators he worked with and mentored over the years.

Flowers speaks fondly of his own mentor, Louis Freeman, who became Southwest Airlines first Black pilot when he was hired in 1980.

“He was a mentor to me,” says the older Flowers of Freeman. “And now I’m trying to be a mentor to others. And I hope my son can be a mentor to others, not just family members.”

While at Southwest, Flowers was part of the airline’s Adopt-A-Pilot program, working with elementary school kids to inspire them to explore careers in aviation.

He’s also a longtime member of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP), where he works to uplift Black aviators.

He encourages prospective pilots to do their research online, look out for programmes, and speak to anyone and everyone they can to get inspiration, information and advice.

The younger Flowers echoes this – he’s actively involved in mentoring young pilots via social media, but he’s also had the occasional in-person conversation with a prospective pilot while transiting through the airport. He says if he can, he’ll always stop and pass on a few words of wisdom between flights.

“That was an awesome feeling. To look over there and see my son, next to me, for my last landing.”

Captain Ruben Flowers

As for his own personal goals, now that he’s achieved his dream of flying with his father, the younger Flowers next dream is to fly side-by-side with his younger brother, who has just recently completed pilot training.

He’s already had the pleasure of flying with his pilot sister several years ago and says it would be incredible if he could complete the family trifecta.

“That’s what I’m looking forward to, is to be able to fly in the plane with my brother,” he says.

The older Flowers is excited for that day too, and says he’s unendingly proud of his three children.

“It’s unbelievable,” he says. “It’s an awesome feeling to know that my son is flying, and my daughter and my youngest son, all three of them are flyers.”