Canceling of the NFL's Hall of Fame Game Is Embarrassing but Correct Call

Preseason NFL games don't count, nor do they really matter. In fact, a lot of fans, players, coaches and league representatives—including Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy, whose team was supposed to play in Sunday night's Hall of Fame Game—feel the preseason is too long. 

So neither the Packers nor the Indianapolis Colts should be affected by the cancellation of Sunday's preseason opener, making the decision to call off the game a no-brainer. 

It's a tremendous shame that a botched pregame paint job forced the game to be canceled, especially for the fans who traveled to see the exhibition and the young players excited to make their first impression. It's possible this was going to be a coming-out party for rookie Packers linebacker Blake Martinez or Colts second-round safety T.J. Green. 

We'll never know. And sadly, neither will they. 

Players and team physicians expressed concern regarding the conditions created by congealed paint that the grounds crew wrongly applied prior to the game, according to ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky and Mike Wells. The NFL couldn't consider playing an exhibition football game if those involved felt the conditions could increase their odds of suffering injuries. 

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Remember, this is a bonus game. The Packers and Colts will now play four preseason games, just like their 30 NFL peers. 

These teams know better than to tempt football fate. Last August, the Packers lost star wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a season-ending knee injury in a preseason game. Later in the preseason, the Colts lost key contributors Arthur Jones and Greg Toler to significant injuries. 

Preseason injuries will never go away, but there's no reason to risk extra ones by playing a fifth exhibition game on a field deemed to be unsafe. The decision wasn't made rashly, as the cancellation will cost the not-for-profit Hall of Fame about $4 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

This game is largely ceremonial, with starters playing limited snaps. We don't learn much about either team, and things wouldn't have been any different Sunday night, especially with Indy and Green Bay scheduled to meet during the regular season. 

The Hall of Fame Game is a culmination of a celebratory weekend. It gives a broad, national television audience a chance to join in on the enshrinement festivities. But Tony Dungy, Brett Favre, Kevin Greene, Marvin Harrison, Orlando Pace, Eddie DeBartolo Jr., Ken Stabler and Dick Stanfel were still honored throughout the weekend, particularly on Saturday, and many of the new Hall of Famers were still lauded on the field and the ESPN broadcast on Sunday night. 

The sky didn't fall Sunday evening in Canton. In fact, the NFL was quite lucky this happened now, rather than prior to a big regular-season or playoff game.

This would have been a thousand times more embarrassing and costly had it taken place in December, January or—God forbid—February. 

It would have been nice to see Andrew Luck throw some passes Sunday. It would have been cool to see whether Davante Adams, Jeff Janis or another unheralded Packers receiver could break out with still sidelined. It would have been fun to see Sean McDonough's debut as ESPN's new top NFL play-by-play announcer. 

The folks involved in putting this game on should be ashamed, because they cost football fans those opportunities while giving critics yet another chance to shake their heads at the NFL. But let's not pretend we missed an important football game, or even a good one. None of us needed that glorified scrimmage, and the players are probably better off without it. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon