Colts Insiders Zak Keefer and Stephen Holder discuss the events of the night leading up to and after the cancellation of the NFL Hall of Fame Game on Sunday.
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A huge number of Green Bay Packers fans came to Canton to see Brett Favre inducted on Saturday evening, and many has returned on the following night to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. A motorized sweeper was scraping the red, white and blue Hall of Fame logo at midfield, scattering piles of rubber pellets that sit below the surface of the UBU turf and prevent players’ cleats from sticking in the artificial surface. However, the paint was congealed, and hardened at midfield and in the end zone.
Later in the memo, Vincent said that league will continue to study field surface safety.
“I get it. Everybody involved in the National Football League wants to have that game played”, Ryan said. The stadium, which holds only 22,375 fans, and the Hall of Fame itself have been undergoing a lengthy renovation project this year. But the fans didn’t find out until around 8:00 p.m., when the game was supposed to start.
This is the first time a preseason game was canceled because of field conditions since Baltimore’s scheduled contest at Philadelphia was called off in 2001.
“Well, the Hall of Fame is sort of separate and gets run a little different from the league”.
The Hall of Fame Game may have been just an exhibition, but it was the first game of the 2016 National Football League preseason and the buzz of fans and viewers on Twitter showed that, after more than six months without game action, the nation was ready to tune in. It’s disappointing for the team to come down here and (not) play; very disappointing for our fans. Mathieu plays as a free safety for the Cardinals. Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham suffered a season-ending ACL tear during the Hall of Fame Game. So I think they ultimately made the right decision.
“We were in the ’80s, trying to decide if we could make a career in coaching or not. How could they not have the field ready?”
For the two teams, they get a few extra days of practice without having to play in a meaningless (extra) preseason game.
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Attorney Michael Avenatti told the Associated Press that at least 20 people who attended the game approached him regarding a class-action suit. Football fans desperate for their first pigskin fix since the Super Bowl will have to wait a bit longer.
