NFL Cancels Tonight's Hall Of Fame Game: Field "Felt Like Cement"

The very first game of the NFL preseason, the Hall Of Fame Game, between that Packers and Colts was supposed to kick off tonight but the conditions on the field were so hazardous that the league decided to cancel it.

The poor field conditions at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio weren't due to a torrential downpour or anything like that, but the paint that was used on the midfield logo and in both endzones had hardened to a point where it was described as feeling "like cement."

One Packers player described it as "like cement" at midfield, where workers spent more than an hour trying to make it playable.

"The end zones are just as bad," the same player said about 90 minutes before the scheduled 8 p.m. ET kickoff.

"The paint on the logo won't allow a cleat to penetrate it," a Colts source said. "A definite hazard to player safety."

Rather than turn the game into an exhibition of NFL Street, it was ultimately decided to scrap tonight's Hall Of Fame Game altogether. The rest of the league will kick off Week 1 of the preseason on Thursday, August 11th, with the next nationally televised game between the Cowboys and LA Rams taking place Saturday night on ESPN.

Players from the Packers and Colts will be having a "fan fest" at the stadium tonight, so the experience won't be a complete wash for everyone who traveled to Canton to see the game. 

[Via]

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