The upcoming NFL season encounters its first obstacle to making an on-schedule appearance
Out of the four major sports leagues in the country, the NFL is perhaps the one that has suffered the least due to the coronavirus pandemic. Until now, the league was able to conduct all the usual activities that are part of the offseason period like the Draft, even though it had to adapt the format a little bit. However, it seems that the league has its first coronavirus-related casualty of this season with the cancelation of the Hall of Fame game, which was put off along with the 2020 induction ceremonies.
The match was scheduled to take place on August 6, just ahead of the pre-season games. The NFL gave the news yesterday that these two events are being left out of this season’s agenda as a preventive measure. The Hall of Fame game, which would have seen the Dallas Cowboys playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, will now be played on August 5, 2021. The induction ceremony will be held two days after, and it will also include the inductees of the 2021 season entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame the next day.
“This is the right decision for several reasons, first and foremost the health and welfare of our Gold Jackets, incoming centennial class of 2020 members, hall personnel and event volunteers. We also must consider the most appropriate way to fulfill the first tenet of our mission: To honor the heroes of the game. This decision meets that duty,” said Hall of Fame’s CEO, David Baker, adding that it was a really difficult decision to make.
