Pro Football Hall of Fame increasing reimbursement package for fans
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is increasing the reimbursement package for fans who traveled to Canton, Ohio for Induction Weekend and were unable to see the Indianapolis Colts-Green Bay Packers game after it was canceled due to field conditions.
The Hall announced on Thursday that in addition to refunding the full face value of tickets purchased for the game, including all processing, shipping and handling fees, it will also refund the cost of one night’s hotel stay, pre-paid parking passes purchased through the Hall, and pre-sale reservation fees.
David Baker, the president and executive director of the Hall of Fame, said in a statement, “The Hall of Fame game is our event. We sincerely regret disappointing fans but we believe that cancelling the game was the right thing to do. Respect for players and their safety must always come first, especially by the Hall of Fame.
“We endeavored to handle, to the best of our ability, these difficult circumstances in the right way. Our focus was on the safety of the players and the best and safest way to communicate the decision to the fans, teams, league and the media representatives.
“We take full responsibility for what occurred at the game. We are doing what is right for our fans. We will learn from this experience so something like this never happens again.”
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Fans will also receive other benefits from the Hall: four tickets to the museum to be used within the next five years; a photo of the Class of 2016 inductees with other Hall of Fame members; a discount at the Hall’s online store; a copy of the current “Pro Football Hall of Fame Yearbook”, and the one-time right to purchase tickets for a Hall of Fame game within the next five years before they go on sale to the public.
The Hall’s decision to increase the reimbursement comes in response to a class-action lawsuit that has been filed in Akron, Ohio.
Workers at the stadium painted the field weeks before the enshrinement ceremony, but then laid down the 4-foot-by-4-foot molded Teraplast squares used to cover the field for events like the ceremony and concerts, before it was fully dried. As a result, the grass fibers stuck together and hardened. Grooming equipment did not remedy the problem.
Workers tried frantically to make the field playable, but to no avail.
More information on the package can be found here.
