The cancellation stemmed from the paint that was used on the logos at midfield and in the end zone congealing, putting the players’ safety at risk.
Advertisement
While the Hall of Fame Game’s cancellation is embarrassing for the league and frustrating for those who wanted to go, there’s no reason for the Hall of Fame to refund any additional money.
Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday night that the organization would refund all the tickets at a cost of about $4 million to the Canton, Ohio, non-profit organization. There would have surely been a higher than normal number of injuries had they played last night (which would have raised interesting liability issues for the National Football League for not providing a safe playing environment).
The game, which was to be played at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio, was canceled after players and league and team officials deemed the playing surface of the artificial field unsafe, due largely to issues associated with the painted logos. Multiple attempts to reach a Pro Football Hall of Fame spokesman were unsuccessful.
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.
It’s an extra preseason game for two teams a year on a field that has come under criticism in the past for not being up to par with league standards.
New turf had replaced an 11-year-old surface on which Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham tore his ACL last year.
Neither the Colts nor the Packers were available for comment on Monday, but both coaches expressed disappointment on Sunday night about the lost opportunity to evaluate, even though four more games remain before the regular season. Quarterback Brett Favre played most of his career in Green Bay, and former Head Coach Tony Dungy led the Colts to a Super Bowl win. One group of seven plaintiffs got ,000 in a case that included allegations of witness tampering by the NFL.
Advertisement
At one point about 2.5 hours before the game, stadium workers applied a substance that appeared to be paint thinner in an effort to remedy the issue. The tester maintained that the crusting would ultimately break up after players ran across those portions of the field.
