“Due to safety concerns with the condition of the playing surface in Canton, tonight’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers has been canceled”, said the NFL Players Association in a joint statement with the league.
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The Hall of Fame Game is traditionally played the day after the induction ceremony for the hall’s latest class of players.
Baker said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, Colts coach Chuck Pagano and National Football League chief operating officer Tod Leiweke were consulted before the choice was made to cancel the game.
“If something happens to somebody, then it’s like ‘Oh, they shouldn’t have played the game, ‘” Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones said. Many said that the field paint was melting into the playing surface and the surface was also uneven. He said the union has heard from other teams that the fields there can be soft because of the rain. And while the league and the Hall spun the cancellation as a “Player Safety” concern and are patting themselves on the backs for making such a decision, many fans in attendance were livid. “They cost a lot to build, so you’re going to have monster truck rallies and concerts, and they’re trying to do a thousand different things in them, which is fine”.
Avenatti said the hall’s plan to only refund ticket prices was far too little. “I think this happened in Philadelphia one time, I think it happened one other time, they learned from it, we’ll learn from it”.
There were problems with the condition of the field.
He also made clear that the NFL’s football operations department “must demand and expect an extra level of detail in adhering to NFL standards. for non-club fields”.
Attorney Michael Avenatti told the Associated Press that fans traveled from other states to attend the game, including Colts and Packers fans who traveled from IN and Wisconsin to the site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame IN Canton, Ohio.
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Things looked bad less than two hours before kickoff when both teams’ head coaches, general managers, owners and medical staffs were conferencing at midfield. News stories displayed here appear in our category for Sports and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization.
