As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL has decided to cancel the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, and also to postpone the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The game was supposed to take place on August 6, and the ceremony on August 8. The cancellation and the postponement come as the NFL tries to wrestle with the logistics of putting on a season in the wake of a coronoavirus pandemic that doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
The league had not had to cancel or postpone any events until now. Free agency went on through the pandemic, and the league’s first virtual draft went off with relatively few hitches. But when it comes to playing actual games, and putting thousands of people in an indoor or outdoor event, that becomes a different story. At this time, per Schefter, the plan is for the Cowboys and Steelers, the two teams that were to play in this year’s Hall of Fame Game, to play it in 2021.
Per league policy and tradition, the Cowboys and Steelers would have reported to training camp a week early to prepare, but now, the plan is for both teams to report on July 28, along with most other NFL teams.