Pro Football Hall of Fame considers five contingency plans for 2020 ceremony, preseason opener

Story Courtesy of USA Today

The first exhibition game on the NFL schedule for 2020 sold out in 22 minutes and is slated for Aug. 6.

But that date now is merely the best-case scenario for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game pitting the Dallas Cowboys against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Canton, Ohio.

David Baker, executive director of the Hall of Fame, told USA TODAY Sports that there are five different contingency plans under consideration for the annual preseason kickoff game and the ceremony to induct 10 new Hall of Famers, currently scheduled for two days later.

The uncertainty is obviously a sign of the times, with the NFL set to unveil its regular season schedule on Thursday despite questions whether it will play its slate as planned given adjustments that could be made necessary by the health and economic crises attached to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re not going to do anything that’s not safe,” Baker said on Monday. “But I do hope that we can lead in showing that this can be done in a way that will inspire us.”

Baker acknowledged that the most essential elements of any decision by the Hall would be preceded by clearance from health and medical experts, government officials and the NFL. While the Baseball Hall of Fame last week announced cancellation of its July 25 enshrinement ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York, Baker is still hopeful of keeping the Hall’s signature – and most lucrative – weekend intact. 

One possibility: Push the game and ceremony to a point later in August if the NFL scales back the preseason.

The NFL isn’t expected to unveil its preseason slate until next week. If the Cowboys-Steelers exhibition is scratched, the enshrinement for five modern-day selections, two coaches and three contributors could be combined with the unique Centennial Celebration slated for Sept. 16-19, when 10 selections from the seniors pool are to be inducted to mark the NFL’s 100-year anniversary. The league was founded on Sept. 17, 1920.

“We’ve got a lot of alternatives,” Baker said.

Baker used a football metaphor in describing the predicament, likening the possibility of shifting plans to an “in-game adjustment.” Holding a “virtual enshrinement” with shades from the recent NFL draft is not an option; he wants to preserve traditions such as the Hall of Fame parade and the Gold Jacket Dinner, when new Hall of Famers are introduced as a banquet by navigating through a sea of existing Hall of Famers.

If the game is canceled, two other options that haven’t been ruled out for 2021: staging the enshrinement during Easter Weekend or inducting two classes.

Of course, Baker sees the bright side. More than 20,000 tickets were sold in mid-March for the Cowboys-Steelers matchup in minutes – less than two days after the NBA season was shut down and two Utah Jazz players tested positive for COVID-19. More than 14,000 tickets have been purchased for the enshrinement ceremony (and they remain on sale) that, like the game, is pegged to be staged at Tom Benson Stadium.

Baker can’t predict how this will unfold but realizes clues could be found as other sports pursue plans for re-opening.

“We know more now than we did 30 days ago,” he said, referring to the pandemic.

If the clearance comes from the medical experts and various authorities, Baker added, “We need to be ready.”