Lawsuit against NFL over Hall of Fame Game refiled after Pat McAfee comments

A lawsuit that was filed against the NFL earlier this month over the cancellation of the Hall of Fame Game was refiled on Tuesday, and the lawyer leading the charge believes his case has gotten even stronger.

If you remember, the NFL’s first preseason game was cancelled because of a disaster with the field turf. Fans did not find out until shortly before kickoff that the game would not be played, and attorney Michael Avenatti claims the league is guilty of fraud in that it knew the game had been called off well before informing fans.

Last week, Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee said on his podcast that players were specifically instructed to not post anything online after they were informed the game would not be played. Avenatti has added McAfee’s revelation to his U.S. District Court filing in California. Here’s the new portion, courtesy of Deadspin:

Avenatti told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Tuesday that there are also text messages that will prove the NFL is guilty of fraud.

“We fully expect to uncover text messages demonstrating [fraud],” he said. “I will tell you this, and this has not been announced previously, we know for a fact that a text message was sent out to members of the Hall of Fame or individuals assisting the Hall of Fame with VIP guests informing them that the game was cancelled and also expressly telling them not to tell the fans. When we get our hands on that text message the NFL and the Hall of Fame have a serious, serious problem and we expect this to reach all the way to the top. We don’t believe that some middle manager made this decision. Commissioner Goodell and Mr. Baker, the head of the Hall of Fame, are going have a lot of explaining to do in connection with the case.”

It certainly sounds like the fans have a strong case. There has already been a report detailing how fans were kept in the dark and continued to spend money at the stadium long after the NFL decided the game would not be played. And if you’ve seen the photos of the disaster with the field turf, you know it was obvious playing was not an option.