The NFL’s first official exhibition game did not go off as scheduled on Sunday, as the annual Hall of Fame Game was called off due to an unplayable field.
Apparently the issue had to do with the logos that were painted at midfield and in the end zones of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. The paint that was applied to the field on Sunday congealed, causing the surface to become slippery and dangerous.
Green Bay Packers reporter Ryan Wood shared some photos of crews trying to remedy the situation, but the attempts were unsuccessful.
Stadium crew working furiously to get field in shape to play a game. #Packers/Colts scheduled to kick off at 7. pic.twitter.com/YHu9ZArToW
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 7, 2016
That's a lot of rubber pellets. pic.twitter.com/HWX71taag8
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 7, 2016
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
Worker spraying down painted area near midfield with blue liquid. Less than 2 hours to #Packers and Colts kick off. pic.twitter.com/jz1IUTTkMN
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 7, 2016
ESPN is reporting that both the Packers and Indianapolis Colts expressed concerns about player safety. One player said the area around the midfield logo was “like cement.”
“The paint on the logo won’t allow a cleat to penetrate it,” a Colts source told ESPN.com. “A definite hazard to player safety.”
Hall of Fame president/executive director David Baker told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that the plan was to hold some sort of “fan fest” for those in attendance. Many fans likely purchased tickets and made travel arrangements for the game, so the situation is bound to get messy.
