NFL Spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Canton Repository Monday that the league has had “absolutely no discussions about moving the Hall of Fame Game out of Canton in the future.”
The game was canceled Sunday night due to poor field conditions at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, which is adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Because the decision wasn’t made until about an hour before game time and because fans already inside the stadium weren’t notified until later, the whole situation was a debacle. McCarthy’s comments indicate the league won’t explore other alternatives as it sorts through Sunday’s mess.
The stadium and surrounding areas are going through a multi-phase renovation project. A high school team and two Div. II college programs who use the stadium are playing elsewhere during the 2016 season, and a new field was recently installed for the Hall of Fame Game.
If it was truly a botched paint job on the field that led to the game being canceled, as the league said, those involved have plenty of time to get things fixed and make sure something like what happened Sunday doesn’t happen again.