WENN.com
The South Carolina football field needs replaced thanks to Beyonce and Jay-Z. On Tuesday, Aug. 21, the music industry’s royal couple held their concert at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia and there was enough damage that the entire field needed a re-do after it was all said and done.
Last week, the grounds crew brought in new sod to start the replacement process with the South Carolina staff set to begin installing more than 90,000 square feet of Bermuda grass on Monday.
Despite having less than a week until the Gamecocks’ season opener against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, the school is confident that the job will be done.
“We would not have done this if we believed there was a safety issue,” assistant athletic director Clark Cox said, via ESPN.com. “My job and our entire ground staff’s job, our No. 1 priority in everything we do, is safety and welfare of our student-athletes.”
The university had attempted to preserve the field by placing a hard surface over the turf, but the damage was still done.
The cost of replacement is between $150,000 to $200,000, but was covered by the concert promoters.
Kickoff between the Gamecocks and Chanticleers at Williams-Brice Stadium is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. South Carolina will remain at home for the following two weeks when they play host to the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs in a big early-season clash on Sept. 8 and Marshall on Sept. 15.
