Steve Atwater had to wait 16 years to get inducted into the Hall of Fame. He’s perfectly fine waiting a little bit longer before officially being enshrined.
According to Troy Renck of the Denver Channel, Atwater said Thursday night that he’s actually relieved that the ceremony originally scheduled for next month is being postponed until next year.
“I am actually kind of relieved just because it would have been stressful for so many people and members of my family to go without a vaccine for COVID-19,” Atwater said. “I know my dad probably wouldn’t have gone. And a lot of the older Hall of Famers -- and I am in that group now -- might not have been able to make it. We are going to have party. We are just putting it off for a year.”
The NFL announced earlier on Thursday that both the standard 2020 ceremony and the centennial ceremony scheduled for September were being moved to next year. The entire 20-man class for 2020 and the upcoming class for 2021 will be enshrined on consecutive days next August.
The Hall of Fame game itself between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys to kick off the 2020 preseason was also scrapped.