The NFL’s Hall Of Fame Game Has Been Cancelled Due To Unsafe Field Conditions

Tonight was supposed to be the official start to the NFL season. The Hall of Fame game is what whets our appetite for six months of gridiron greatness, but it wasn’t meant to be. The NFL and the NFLPA made an announcement today that the Colts vs. the Packers would not be happening due to an issue with the field paint.

“Due to safety concerns with the condition of the playing surface in Canton, tonight’s game between theIndianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers has been cancelled. We are very disappointed for our fans, but player safety is our primary concern, and as a result, we could not play an NFL game on this field tonight.”

Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker told NFL Media’s Steve Wyche that the specific issue was… paint.

“I was notified at about 5:30 that there was a problem at midfield and in the end zones with some of the painting that it was kind of congealing and rubberized, which meant players might slip on it. The folks with the field tried to remediate that by dropping some other pellets but after talking to the coaches and staff for both the Packers and the Colts, there was a concern they might be able to remediate it but they would have to do something underneath the surface.

It’s like Xmas being delayed because someone plugged in the wrong lights and everything was going to burn down. We were so close, so close, to enjoying the Packers vs. the Colts tonight, but now they’ve gone home, and some lonely groundskeepers are cleaning up sludgy grass.

https://twitter.com/purplebuckeye/status/762422325107052544

Look at the sad fans. Look at them.

(Via NFL)