COLLEGE PARK, Ga. – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the Hall of Fame game between St. Louis and Chicago has been canceled despite owners voting in favor of a tentative deal to end the lockout , pending player approval.
The Rams and Bears originally were scheduled to open their training camps this weekend and play in the Hall of Fame game to open the preseason schedule on Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio.
Goodell says Thursday that the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will go on as planned but says “the time is just too short” to have the teams prepare and play the game as scheduled.
The Hall of Fame game in Canton could be in jeopardy even though NFL owners appear to be closer to voting on a new deal that, if ratified, could end the football lockout that started in March.
Joe Horrigan, the vice president of communications for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has been on the edge of his seat as he waits for news from the NFL owners, who have gathered in Atlanta to discuss a tentative deal.
“We don’t know much more than the fan watching television or reading the paper,” Horrigan said.
The game is scheduled for August 7 and would feature the Chicago Bears and the St. Louis Rams.
Normally the game is sold out by this time of the year, but reluctant fans monitoring the lockout have only purchased 14,000 of 22,000 available tickets. If the game is called off, people who bought tickets will be refunded.
Horrigan said he expects to find out Friday if the game is a go.
When pressed on his best guess, Horrigan said, “If I were a betting man, I would say I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow.
That’s as close as I can come to giving you an honest answer.”
Horrigan said if the game is canceled, it would cost the Hall of Fame about $1 million in revenue from tickets sales, merchandise and admissions into the museum.
Horrigan said the enshrinement ceremony on August 6th will go forward regardless of the NFL’s decision on the Hall of Fame game.
The first preseason game of the season is a Canton tradition that dates back to 1963.
The only year a game wasn’t played was 1966 when Hall of Fame officials could not get two teams to agree to play.
