Amid serious concerns regarding the condition of the playing field, the 2016 Hall of Fame Game between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts has been cancelled. The news was first reported by Jason La Canfora of CBS and later confirmed by ESPN.
BREAKING: The Hall of Fame game between the Packers and the Colts has been cancelled because of field condition. pic.twitter.com/hCUZCP4nvP
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 7, 2016
Here is a shot at what the field looked like.
There are large chunks of this field that are nothing but rubber pellets right now. pic.twitter.com/Zp8YpHqygl
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 7, 2016
Parts of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio are as hard as concrete in opinion of multiple players. Unsafe, they say.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 7, 2016
The NFL made the only decision that could have been reached. No football game should be played on an unsafe field, especially a preseason game.
With that said, this is a black eye for everyone involved. How in the world did the grounds crew in Canton let this happen? It’s not like this game or date snuck up on anyone. The date of this game has been known for months. How did the field get so bad? How is this something that we’re just now finding out about hours before the game?
Another question: How are we supposed to believe that next year’s game will be any better? It’s possible that that may not be an issue.
My gut feeling is that the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game might have been the last one ever from Canton, OH and maybe last ever.
— Matt Pomeroy (@MattPomPom) August 7, 2016
For now, this is an embarrassing debacle for all parties involved.