Poor Field Conditions Force Cancellation of Hall of Fame Game
Sources say the issue was with the paint used on the logo and in the end zones.
— -- CANTON, Ohio -- Sunday night's Hall of Fame Game between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts has been canceled because of field conditions at Tom Benson Stadium, Hall of Fame president/executive director David Baker told ESPN's Lisa Salters.
According to Baker, teams will remain at the stadium, and the plan is now to host a "fan fest" of sorts.
Multiple sources told ESPN.com that both the Packers and Colts were worried about player safety as crews worked feverishly to spray solvent on the area around the midfield logo. The issue stemmed from the paint used on the logo and in the end zones.
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."
Colts defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin tweeted that he was "juiced" for Sunday night's game, but "safety is number 1."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Colts coach Chuck Pagano both watched as crews tried to rectify the problem. Baker later met with representatives of both teams.
This is not the same surface used in last year's Hall of Fame Game, in which Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham suffered a season-ending injury.
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