Tag: Canton

Ohio governor: ‘Highly unlikely’ fans will be in stands for Hall of Fame game

Ohio governor Mike DeWine says it’s ‘highly unlikely’ fans will be in the stands for the Hall of Fame game to kick off the NFL preseason.

The Hall of Fame Game, which kicks off the NFL preseason, could feature an empty stadium this year. The matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys is currently scheduled for Aug. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. But with the coronavirus pandemic still sweeping the nation, the annual event could now be held without fans in the stands, according to Ohio governor, Mike DeWine.

“As much as I hate to say this, because we’ve all been looking forward to that and I know how much it means to the Canton area and the Stark County area and, really, across the country, it’s a great, great event that we’ve been looking forward to, [but] having a crowd that size is highly unlikely,” DeWine said Tuesday via WKYC-TV. “Certainly, it could not occur today. It would be very dangerous to do it today.”

The NFL is currently doing everything in its power to reopen team facilities, and while some staff and coaches have been welcomed back, players are not yet able to return. The league and the NFLPA are still working to provide protocols to ensure safety measures and in-person minicamps have been canceled throughout June. Reports also indicate there are discussions to shorten the preseason all together.

“Again, we have to see where we are at that point, but that’s a large crowd, a lot of people together,” DeWine continued. “These are the things that we’ve talked about all the way through this as we open Ohio up and we get back to work and we get back to doing the things that we like, probably the last things that are going to be able to be open are the big crowds, particularly when you have big crowds that are close together. So we have to continue to look at it and make decisions as we move forward, but if the question was, ‘could that even occur today?’ the answer would be, ‘no.’”

This story is continuing to develop.

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Matt Hasselbeck: Steve Hutchinson’s best years were in Seattle

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck stated that Hall of Fame guard Steve Hutchinson’s greatest years were in Seattle.

Former Seattle Seahawks guard Steve Hutchinson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 2020 class.

Hutchinson originally thought he was receiving a call from the Hall of Fame to tell him that he did not make it in, as he had received several calls telling him so years prior.

“I’m thinking, ‘I’m getting another late [rejection] call,’” Hutchinson said. “As soon as the knock happens, it’s hard to explain. It’s like a weighted vest is taken immediately off your shoulders. That last 10 minutes, it seemed like it was seven hours. It was crazy. I was getting all tight. Then you get the knock and… you start floating. And it’s like, ‘Is this real?’ We all just kind of broke down at once. It’s great. It’s indescribable.”

Hutchinson’s former teammate Matt Hasselbeck believes the guard played his best years in the Emerald City.

“I don’t think – there’s no doubt! His best years were as a Seahawk. I think he made a name for himself as a Seahawk,” Hasselbeck said. “I know he meant more to the Seahawks organization than the other teams that he played for during his career. Steve was an absolute stud on the field, off the field, as well as a leader, tough guy, and helped us have a swagger that we didn’t necessarily have [otherwise].”

Largely due to his tenure with the Seahawks, Hutchinson finally has a spot in Canton.

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