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HOF Game Cancelled
- Thread starter steelbtexan
- Start date
xtruroyaltyx
Hall of Fame
Bad field.
What did Goodell do here?
Who is in charge of the NFL?
This is a signature game and things like this shouldn't happen on his watch. It didn't happen on Rozelle/Tags watch.
You think the commissioner of the league oversees the paint used on the field? Really?
And yes it did ... Game canceled because of turf problem, 2001
That didn't have anything more to do with Tagliabue than this does Goodell.
The person in charge of the NFL should be held responsible. If you cancelled all week one games for whatever reason would the commish be responsible? I know I'm held responsible for mistakes that happen in my company even if I'm not directly at fault for the issues at hand.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
Good job ignoring that this same thing did happen under your precious Tagliabue.
Beyond that you seem to have owner mistaken with commissioner, which to pretty much anyone paying attention clearly aren't one and the same.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
Here are the real details of what caused the problem.......................NFL idiots demonstrating poor foresight and poor oversight.
****************************************************************************
Hall of Fame Game canceled due to field conditions
Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 7:56 p.m. EDT August 7, 2016
(Photo: Jim Matthews/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
CANTON, Ohio - The prospect of the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts playing in the Hall of Fame game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Sunday night was diminishing with each minute the game got closer to kickoff.
Now it has been canceled.
A source with connections to multiple players involved in the game said that around 6 p.m. he was informed by more than one that the game had been cancelled. Official word was finally given through the NFL's mobile site at about 6:15 p.m.
ESPN, which is broadcasting the game, also began telling viewers the game was being cancelled around that time.
Poor field conditions, reportedly caused by the wrong paint being applied to the Hall of Fame logo at midfield and wording in the end zone, threatened to end this game before it got started. The field was cleared of both teams at about 5:30 CDT with indications being it would be a long shot for the game to be played.
"We heard their concerns," Hall of Fame president David Baker said in an interview on ESPN. "Though it was a difficult decision, a lot of fans came a long way - but it was the only decision that could be made. There will be a refund policy. I don't know what it is yet.
Hours before the game, head coaches Mike McCarthy and Chuck Pagano were watching with a worried eye as workers attempted to clear Tom Benson Hall of Fame Field of an accumulation of rubber pellets just hours before the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts were about to kick things off in the annual Hall of Fame game.
The aritificial turf surface, which was taken from the Superdome in New Orleans and installed earlier this year, features fine rubber pellets that serve as cushion on the artificial surface. But just 3 hours before the game a motorized brush was being used to sweep the Hall of Fame logo at the middle of the field.
"We heard their concerns," Hall of Fame executive director David Baker said. "Though it was a difficult decision - fans came along way for this game - but it was the only decision that could be made. There will be a refund policy. I don't know what it is yet.
Baker said both teams would come out at 8 p.m. and the eight new Hall of Fame inductees would be introduced. He said the halftime concert planned would be played and then the evening would end. He said tickets would be refunded.
Asked what he thought went wrong, Baker said he was going to do his best to find out.
"I think we'll learn from this," he said. "I think this happened in Philadelphia. It might have happened one other time. But we'll learn from it. And we're going to make sure this never happens again."
At first, it appeared they were trying to clear the field of the pellets as McCarthy, Pagano and medical staffs for both teams looked on. But the issue appears to be the paint, which for some reason caused the rubber pellets to accumulate and make some parts of the field dangerously soft and other parts hard.
General manager Ted Thompson was huddled with team physician Patrick McKenzie for a considerable amount of time just two hours before the start of the game as workers were sweeping the logo and then clearing the pellets that were accumulating in piles. Workers were trying to spread the pellets evenly back in place with shovels as the brush scattered them.
The prospect of everything being cleared away in time for the start of the game was looking spotty and cancellation appears a possibility.
Based on his player safety concerns —Thompson won't let the Packers practice with another team during training camp because he's worried about injuries — it wouldn't be surprising if he told the NFL he was not willing to put his players at risk. Both teams could have conceivably told the NFL they refuse to play the game because of safety reasons.
"One of the doctors shook my hand after we made the decision," Baker said. "And said this is the greatest statement in the history of the league in terms of respect for player's and their safety."
Baker said commissioner Roger Goodell was in the air and so he didn't talk to him, but he said he knew Goodell would agree with the decision.
The turf is not the same as the surface the Pittsburgh Steelers criticized last year. This one was ripped from the Superdome floor after the 2016 Sugar Bowl and put into place specifically for this game. It was scheduled to b ripped out again as the second phase of the $80 million renovation of the stadium begins.
A permanent surface will be installed to replace this one.
For both teams, it's not the worst thing to happen.
Both were granted an extra week of training camp, but now they don't have to risk players to injury with an extra exhibition game. They will have had three weeks of practice before they ever engage in a live game, which probably pleases the two coaches.
The field outside the 40-yard lines on both sides appeared to be in good condition. Players were jogging sideline to sideline and doing half speed drills on each end. However, a source said that the end zones were a problem also because of a heavy amount of paint being used there to spell out "Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium" on one end and "Pro Football Hall of Fame" on the other.
The issue wasn't directly related to the rubber pellets on the field. Instead, witnesses said the paint on the field appeared to be pulling the pellets to the surface and causing them to create spots where players' cleats could get stuck.
ESPN reported that Hall of Fame people used the wrong kind of paint on the field.
In the middle, the field appeared squishy and the prospect of players catching their cleats in the soft rubber pellets appears to be a big concern. At times workers appeared to be power-washing the logo to try to clear the paint.
The turf was covered with a tarp and possibly planks of an unknown material the past two days for a Tim McGraw concert on Friday and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday. Workers began removing all the covering immediately after the induction ceremony Saturday night.
It's hard to imagine that someone didn't notice the accumulation of rubber pellets much earlier.
Equipment manager Red Batty and one of his assistants were examining a spot directly in the middle of the field on the 50-yard line. Others were sliding their feet on the turf to check how slippery it was.
In the meantime, piles of rubber pellets were still accumulated between the 40 and 50 yard lines on one end of the field. A large contingent of officials, including the two head coaches, were meeting with one of the field managers who was directing the work on the field.
In the center of the group was McKenzie.
"This is an important game for the people of Canton," Baker said. "They're going to keep loving the game. It's a hard decision because of the impact it has, but it's an easy ethical decision."
(Photo: Tom Silverstein/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
****************************************************************************
Hall of Fame Game canceled due to field conditions
Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 7:56 p.m. EDT August 7, 2016
(Photo: Jim Matthews/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
CANTON, Ohio - The prospect of the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts playing in the Hall of Fame game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Sunday night was diminishing with each minute the game got closer to kickoff.
Now it has been canceled.
A source with connections to multiple players involved in the game said that around 6 p.m. he was informed by more than one that the game had been cancelled. Official word was finally given through the NFL's mobile site at about 6:15 p.m.
ESPN, which is broadcasting the game, also began telling viewers the game was being cancelled around that time.
Poor field conditions, reportedly caused by the wrong paint being applied to the Hall of Fame logo at midfield and wording in the end zone, threatened to end this game before it got started. The field was cleared of both teams at about 5:30 CDT with indications being it would be a long shot for the game to be played.
"We heard their concerns," Hall of Fame president David Baker said in an interview on ESPN. "Though it was a difficult decision, a lot of fans came a long way - but it was the only decision that could be made. There will be a refund policy. I don't know what it is yet.
Hours before the game, head coaches Mike McCarthy and Chuck Pagano were watching with a worried eye as workers attempted to clear Tom Benson Hall of Fame Field of an accumulation of rubber pellets just hours before the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts were about to kick things off in the annual Hall of Fame game.
The aritificial turf surface, which was taken from the Superdome in New Orleans and installed earlier this year, features fine rubber pellets that serve as cushion on the artificial surface. But just 3 hours before the game a motorized brush was being used to sweep the Hall of Fame logo at the middle of the field.
"We heard their concerns," Hall of Fame executive director David Baker said. "Though it was a difficult decision - fans came along way for this game - but it was the only decision that could be made. There will be a refund policy. I don't know what it is yet.
Baker said both teams would come out at 8 p.m. and the eight new Hall of Fame inductees would be introduced. He said the halftime concert planned would be played and then the evening would end. He said tickets would be refunded.
Asked what he thought went wrong, Baker said he was going to do his best to find out.
"I think we'll learn from this," he said. "I think this happened in Philadelphia. It might have happened one other time. But we'll learn from it. And we're going to make sure this never happens again."
At first, it appeared they were trying to clear the field of the pellets as McCarthy, Pagano and medical staffs for both teams looked on. But the issue appears to be the paint, which for some reason caused the rubber pellets to accumulate and make some parts of the field dangerously soft and other parts hard.
General manager Ted Thompson was huddled with team physician Patrick McKenzie for a considerable amount of time just two hours before the start of the game as workers were sweeping the logo and then clearing the pellets that were accumulating in piles. Workers were trying to spread the pellets evenly back in place with shovels as the brush scattered them.
The prospect of everything being cleared away in time for the start of the game was looking spotty and cancellation appears a possibility.
Based on his player safety concerns —Thompson won't let the Packers practice with another team during training camp because he's worried about injuries — it wouldn't be surprising if he told the NFL he was not willing to put his players at risk. Both teams could have conceivably told the NFL they refuse to play the game because of safety reasons.
"One of the doctors shook my hand after we made the decision," Baker said. "And said this is the greatest statement in the history of the league in terms of respect for player's and their safety."
Baker said commissioner Roger Goodell was in the air and so he didn't talk to him, but he said he knew Goodell would agree with the decision.
The turf is not the same as the surface the Pittsburgh Steelers criticized last year. This one was ripped from the Superdome floor after the 2016 Sugar Bowl and put into place specifically for this game. It was scheduled to b ripped out again as the second phase of the $80 million renovation of the stadium begins.
A permanent surface will be installed to replace this one.
For both teams, it's not the worst thing to happen.
Both were granted an extra week of training camp, but now they don't have to risk players to injury with an extra exhibition game. They will have had three weeks of practice before they ever engage in a live game, which probably pleases the two coaches.
The field outside the 40-yard lines on both sides appeared to be in good condition. Players were jogging sideline to sideline and doing half speed drills on each end. However, a source said that the end zones were a problem also because of a heavy amount of paint being used there to spell out "Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium" on one end and "Pro Football Hall of Fame" on the other.
The issue wasn't directly related to the rubber pellets on the field. Instead, witnesses said the paint on the field appeared to be pulling the pellets to the surface and causing them to create spots where players' cleats could get stuck.
ESPN reported that Hall of Fame people used the wrong kind of paint on the field.
In the middle, the field appeared squishy and the prospect of players catching their cleats in the soft rubber pellets appears to be a big concern. At times workers appeared to be power-washing the logo to try to clear the paint.
The turf was covered with a tarp and possibly planks of an unknown material the past two days for a Tim McGraw concert on Friday and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday. Workers began removing all the covering immediately after the induction ceremony Saturday night.
It's hard to imagine that someone didn't notice the accumulation of rubber pellets much earlier.
Equipment manager Red Batty and one of his assistants were examining a spot directly in the middle of the field on the 50-yard line. Others were sliding their feet on the turf to check how slippery it was.
In the meantime, piles of rubber pellets were still accumulated between the 40 and 50 yard lines on one end of the field. A large contingent of officials, including the two head coaches, were meeting with one of the field managers who was directing the work on the field.
In the center of the group was McKenzie.
"This is an important game for the people of Canton," Baker said. "They're going to keep loving the game. It's a hard decision because of the impact it has, but it's an easy ethical decision."
(Photo: Tom Silverstein/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Whatever dude,
Tags was a better commish, tell me how many mistakes he made compared to God'ell. With that said Tags also should've been held responsible. PS, No man is precious to me.
God'ell runs the NFL, just like I run my business (Actually this is not true,) therefore he should be held responsible. We will never agree, probably because we live in different worlds.
Heath Shuler
SPEED KILLS
I never thought I would be so disappointed not seeing a preseason game, what has my life become 
We can disagree about plenty of things, and that's great, but one of them wouldn't be that the commissioner of the league should be responsible for the paint used on the field of the owner of a football team. As though Goodell should've checked on the paint in the last day or so before it was applied to make sure it was appropriate.
Dislike the guy all you want, the issue is to at least make some attempt to be accurate.
Agreed, except God'ell should be held accountable for the people that were hired that caused this issue. Like I said, how would you feel about this issue if the week one Texans /Bears game was cancelled?
I'm not saying God'ell should be fired for this, but when his contract comes up for renewal this is another faux pas should be added to the list.
Fred
Veteran
So it's Goodell's fault that Brian Hoyer stunk up the playoff game against the Chiefs? Because that game was a total crapfest for the NFL. You have a good point, I never saw Tags let a QB play that bad in a playoff game...
Is Goodell responsible for hiring at the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
He should be over all field turf supervisors and/or the teams/HOF that prepare the field.
Let me ask you, who ishould be held responisble for field conditions? I believe Hartmann sued the NFL and the Texans.
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
Take it up with the owners. They have not given him that job.
Wrong. Hartman sued the Houston sports authority or whatever they call the entity that owns the stadium.
And the answer is the owner of the field. Which is the way the NFL is set up.
I kinda hope the week one game is cancelled.
Well I didn't know the HSA owned the Texans. Man McNair has a great deal, he gets to collect the profits and accept little to no risk.
The game is in conjunction with the HoF. It's their field and so they have field duties.
And I don't believe he did...
link
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
That's sad.
Fred
Veteran
Seriously? You think that Field Painter for a preseason game is a more important position than QB in a playoff game? QB is the most important position in the game. If the Commissioner is responsible for overseeing the painting of the field, he should never have allowed a team go into a season with Hoyer as the starting QB. And definitely not a playoff game. And (according to the way you think) he should have called at halftime and ordered O'Brien to bench Hoyer. While I think that is ridiculous, that is consistent with your view of the role of Commissioner.
My view is the commissioner should be able to make sure the correct people are in place so that the 1st game of the yr can be played. If he cant there should be consequences.
All of the Hoyer drivel lets me know that you cant be reasonable. So I wont be replying to such drivel again.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
A somewhat Interesting tweet:
That's like holding you responsible for one batch of pvc pipe being shipped faulty from the factory that your people installed in a sprinkler system
Fred
Veteran
Of course the Hoyer drivel is drivel, but it is far more reasonable than your painter drivel. But apparently the concept of an analogy is lost on you. You have never been reasonable about Goodell and McNair and we should stop replying to your drivel.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
The HOF organization have announced that they will refund fans for the ticket costs.................seems like a pretty empty gesture for the poor fans that spent a fortune just to travel to see the game in person.
Please do
Believe it or not people do, I have to throw in free labor. (Not talking about sprinkler installation.
Quick story: About 20 yrs ago a new termiticide that was supposed to be the latest/greatest came out (Pryfon) it didn't work and I had to respray between 40-50 houses for termites at my cost. Luckily I didn't get sued for damages to the houses caused by the termites after the 1st treatment.
You can say I should've sued the chemical maker but it wasn't worth the time to be caught up in court for many yrs with the big chemical makers. DuPont/BASF etc....
I learned to wait 2 yrs to see if new chemicals work before I make a change.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
ESPN is reporting that the paint did not turn the playing surface to "tar." It turned it to "cement."
So if Goodell is ultimately responsible, it was his fault that the deflation compromised Tom Brady'so balls. In effect, Goodell suspended Brady for his own screw up.
That's pretty cool.
That's pretty cool.
In a way yes, his people weren't properly monitoring the footballs.
I think it's funny how you really didn't hear much about football testing this past yr.
Amen. The question also becomes who they refund as well. If you bought your ticket on the secondary market, "your" refund could be going to the original ticket owner. Imagine if this fiasco happened in 2002. Those were NOT easy tickets to get.
I don't blame Goodell, but I blame the NFL.
Saw folks on Twitter, Facebook etc, saying that it wasn't the NFLs' fault, as this is a high school stadium.
You bring in a field from the Superdome just for this and still manage to screw it up...great work NFL.
For the record, if the NFL screws up the Mexico city game this badly, there will be bloodshed.
Could be an even bigger hoot if Trump is the president elect at that point...
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
The liability take by Mike Florio of PFT:
Hall of Fame refund policy mentions tickets only
If customers who incurred unnecessary expenses to attend the NFL game in Canton that wasn’t played in Canton (or anywhere else) on Sunday night want to be reimbursed for those expenses, they’ll have to hire a lawyer.
The Hall of Fame has posted at its website the procedures for obtaining a refund, and the policy refers only to the price of the tickets. The window for obtaining refunds will be open through August 31.
The statute of limitations for taking legal action will be open much longer, and depending on the specific principles of Ohio law the available compensation could exceed the price of the tickets significantly, including travel costs, lodging costs, and other expenses related to a trip to Canton for a game that wasn’t played. Given that the cancellation occurred as the apparent result of NFL/Hall of Fame negligence, tort-type damages beyond the actual expenses could, in theory, be available.
Ideally, the league would affirmatively offer to compensate angry customers for all financial losses, since the failure to stage the game ultimately arose not from an act of nature but from an incident of gross incompetence for which the NFL is ultimately responsible. The NFL most likely won’t do that, because it knows that its fans/customers aren’t going to quit being fans/customers over something like this.
With only one team winning the Super Bowl every year, NFL fans are used to being disappointed. As overall NFL-fan disappointments go, traveling to Canton for a meaningless game that wasn’t actually played is far less disappointing than, for example, seeing their favorite team fail to make the playoffs or (even worse) losing a playoff game or (far worse) losing the Super Bowl.
Hall of Fame refund policy mentions tickets only
If customers who incurred unnecessary expenses to attend the NFL game in Canton that wasn’t played in Canton (or anywhere else) on Sunday night want to be reimbursed for those expenses, they’ll have to hire a lawyer.
The Hall of Fame has posted at its website the procedures for obtaining a refund, and the policy refers only to the price of the tickets. The window for obtaining refunds will be open through August 31.
The statute of limitations for taking legal action will be open much longer, and depending on the specific principles of Ohio law the available compensation could exceed the price of the tickets significantly, including travel costs, lodging costs, and other expenses related to a trip to Canton for a game that wasn’t played. Given that the cancellation occurred as the apparent result of NFL/Hall of Fame negligence, tort-type damages beyond the actual expenses could, in theory, be available.
Ideally, the league would affirmatively offer to compensate angry customers for all financial losses, since the failure to stage the game ultimately arose not from an act of nature but from an incident of gross incompetence for which the NFL is ultimately responsible. The NFL most likely won’t do that, because it knows that its fans/customers aren’t going to quit being fans/customers over something like this.
With only one team winning the Super Bowl every year, NFL fans are used to being disappointed. As overall NFL-fan disappointments go, traveling to Canton for a meaningless game that wasn’t actually played is far less disappointing than, for example, seeing their favorite team fail to make the playoffs or (even worse) losing a playoff game or (far worse) losing the Super Bowl.
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
Florio should know better - there is almost certainly a limitation if liability (typically face value) in the terms and conditions.
ChampionTexan
Hall of Fame
Knowing better, and letting that knowledge actually impact what you do/say are two different things. Unmade comments don't generate a reaction. Florio has alot in common with Skip Bayless in that regard.
Next game will be tomorrow Thorn. Patriots vs Saints. Try to stay awake.
Stay awake during a preseason game...? and it ain't the Texans??
You're asking a lot of him.
...and me for that matter
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
No surprise here.
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
And it won't be any surprise when they get tossed. It just won't make the news.
On what grounds would this lawsuit get tossed out?
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
Most tickets have a limit of liability clause set at face value. Somewhat redundant they also often have a no consequential damages clause.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
But does that cover both liability for physical injury AND monetary injury?
So don't the plaintiffs legal folk know this? Why even file, what amounts to a frivolous suit, if they know the NFL has a get-out-of-jail-free clause posted right on the back of the ticket?
Geez, just how many villains are in this tale?