A canceled Hall of Fame game led to a lawsuit. Several sports fans, who paid to attend the Hall of Fame game on Sunday at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio have filed a lawsuit. What is their reason?
The game was canceled. It was supposed to be a great finale to a fantastic weekend where Brett Favre was inducted into the Hall of Fame and delivered a memorable speech. The Packers were scheduled to take on Indianapolis Colts, but before the game even started, players from both sides complained that the field was unsafe, but they played anyway.
However, after the first quarter, it became apparent that it was not possible for the game to go on because the players were having a tough time running on the sticky paint used to make the letters. According to the players, the melted paint on the artificial grass blades and rubber pellets created a gooey mixture that caused their cleats to stick into the ground. More on the sticky situation:
“It was obvious three hours before the game started that there was a problem. A motorized sweeper was scraping the red, white and blue Hall of Fame logo at midfield, scattering piles of rubber pellets that sit below the surface of the UBU turf and prevent players’ cleats from sticking in the artificial surface.
Later, Hall of Fame executive director David Baker explained that the wrong kind of paint was used on the midfield hall of fame logo and the giant red and white letters in both end zones, causing unsafe conditions. A source familiar with players on both teams said they told him the surface was like “concrete” in some places and largely unplayable.”
Hall of Fame executive director David Baker apologized to the fans, who were inconvenienced and promised a full refund. Baker said:
“We heard their concerns.Though it was a difficult decision, a lot of fans came a long way. But it was the only decision that could be made. There will be a refund policy. I don’t know what it is yet.”
He added:
“I think we’ll learn from this.I think this happened in Philadelphia. It might have happened one other time. But we’ll learn from it. And we’re going to make sure this never happens again.”
Attorney Michael Avenatti explained that he had been contacted by more than two dozens of people, who are interested in a class-action lawsuit. The fans claimed that they want a further reimbursement because they traveled from states like Wisconsin and Indiana to see the Packers play the Colts. The lawyer shared:
“They could have offered what these fans paid for the tickets and to reimburse them for any expenses incurred.The league has a history of being cheap with its fans.”
Avenatti has a history of dragging the NFL to court. Avenatti filed a multi-million dollar class action suit over the Dallas Super Bowl, but was not certified, and the claims were significantly pared down. Most of his clients received some damages and were offered replacement tickets for a future Super Bowl. The NFL has declined to comment on the lawsuit.