Hall of Fame Game between Cowboys-Steelers canceled by NFL - The Dallas Morning News

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The coronavirus pandemic has pushed back the start of the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason.

The Hall of Fame Game -- which was to be played on Aug. 6 between the Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers -- has been canceled due to the pandemic, the NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced on Thursday. The game has been rescheduled for Aug. 5, 2021.

In addition, the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony on Aug. 8 is also being postponed until next year with both the 2020 and 2021 classes being honored.

Enshrinements for the 20 men in the 2020 class will now occur on Aug. 7, 2021, with the 2021 class being honored the next day.

“The health and safety of our Hall of Famers, fans and volunteers who make Enshrinement Week so special remains our top priority,” said David Baker, president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in a statement.

“The Hall will honor the Centennial Class of 2020 next August, along with what promises to be an equally spectacular Class of 2021, as part of a multi-day celebration of football with an atmosphere that will deliver for fans ‘Twice the Fun in ’21.’”

The Hall of Fame, which opened in 1963, has never had two enshrinements in one weekend. It has had cancellations of the game, including in 2011 because of the league’s lockout of the players, and in 2016, when the field at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was declared unplayable because of poor conditions.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on June 16 it would be “highly unlikely” that crowds of 20,000 or so would be allowed for the Hall of Fame Game and induction ceremony.

“If the question was could that event occur today, the answer would be no. It would be extremely dangerous,” DeWine said.

While fans will have to wait for the Cowboys to take the field, it also means they will have to wait to see former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Former Cowboys safety Cliff Harris was also selected as a part of the special centennial class.

HOF postponed until 2021...so got to wait another year!

— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) June 25, 2020

As the NFL attempted to continue offseason business as usual during the pandemic by going through free agency and a virtual draft, this becomes the first cancellation of a league event due to the pandemic.

NFL owners are conducting a virtual meeting Thursday in which the preseason schedule will be discussed. It’s possible the league will reduce the number of exhibition games to two per team from the usual four. Dallas and Pittsburgh would have played five, including the Hall of Fame Game.

In recent weeks, members of the Buccaneers, Cowboys, 49ers and Texans organizations tested positive for COVID-19. One of those was Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

As part of its attempt to stay on schedule for the new season, the NFL recently allowed team facilities to reopen on a limited basis, with no players except those rehabilitating injuries allowed on the premises.

Training camps are scheduled to open in late July, and the league has said it plans to play its season as scheduled, with the first game set for Sept. 10 at Kansas City.

The Cowboys were expected to open camp before other NFL teams due to an earlier preseason start, but now without the Aug. 6 game, Dallas will likely push its training schedule back in line with the rest of the league.

Dallas’ next preseason game, if the schedule isn’t altered any further, is set for Aug. 16 as the Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers hope to play the first NFL game inside the new SoFI Stadium.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Find more Cowboys stories from The Dallas Morning News here.

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