Sunday’s cancellation was just the second time that a Hall of Fame Game hasn’t been played since its inception in 1962.
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Fans will be offered full refunds from the Hall of Fame.
Due to no fault of their own, it’s the members on the bubbles of both the Packers and Colts rosters who were left despondent.
League officials ultimately advised players not to warm up on the field.
The artificial turf at the stadium in Canton, Ohio, will be replaced for next year’s Hall of Fame Game, a source with the Hall of Fame told NFL Media’s Steve Wyche.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has likely already gotten over the fact his team wasn’t forced to suit up for a fifth preseason game, and those not fighting for a roster spot would have hardly been devastated when the decision was made to abandon the game. Gregg Doyle at the IndyStar outlined just how furious those fans were and how the National Football League basically screwed them over earlier today.
This game is arguably the most high-profile exhibition match ever called off. The field will presumably be usable to play a game.
National Football League fields have come a long way in the last 15 years.
The Hall of Fame Game is only a part of the weekend.
“There is a standard”, said Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich, the team’s union rep. “People haven’t held everything to that standard”. In a joint statement, the NFL and NFL Players Association said that while they were “disappointed for our fans”, player safety “is our primary concern”. “I think they should apply to fields as well”. Indianapolis Colts’ Andrew Luck (12) and Green Bay Packers’ Blake Martinez (50), center, meet a midfield after the preseason NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts at Tom Benson Hall of Fam. The substance they were trying to get the paint off with, I can promise you, was not health-conscious at all.
There is a bounce to the field and it can be fairly forgiving when you fall on it.
Charges will be automatically refunded to ticketholders who paid by credit card.
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This is a detail-oriented league that, for example, fines players for uniform violations. As of late July, a playing surface didn’t exist inside the stadium. Even the color of the tarp is prescribed. The game between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts was cancelled after concerns over the playing surface.
