The 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony has been canceled. Former Denver Broncos safety Steve Atwater will have to wait again.
Former Denver Broncos safety Steve Atwater’s Hall of Fame induction was a long time coming. This year, he was finally inducted. The ceremony was supposed to take place on Thursday, August 6th.
That will not happen, as the game and Hall of Fame induction ceremony have been canceled for 2020.
The Cowboys and Steelers, who were scheduled to play in this year’s preseason opener, now are expected to play in the 2021 Hall of Fame game next summer, per sources. The HOF enshrinement ceremony also is expected to be held then.https://t.co/1dGl2DX2iq
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 25, 2020
With what is going on in the world with coronavirus, the decision to cancel the Hall of Fame festivities makes sense, unfortunately. The NFL and Hall of Fame are doing the right thing by canceling this game. Ultimately, it just puts the preseason on hold.
Atwater is surely going to take some more time to make his Hall of Fame speech top notch. He has a great personality when it comes to talking Broncos football, as he does for BroncosTV, and I just know that whenever the Hall of Fame ceremony takes place, he is going to be ready to deliver a tremendous speech for all football fans to see.
Atwater is not new to the waiting game. He has been eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for around 15 years. It was a shame to see him get passed over for so long, but just because he had to wait longer than he should have, does not mean that people did not recognize his accomplishments on the field.
He was a hard-hitting safety who famously laid a hit on former Chiefs’ Christian Okoye, knocking the big running back to the ground.
That is perhaps the most famous play of Atwater’s career. But he needs to be recognized for much more. During his career, which started in 1989 and ended in 1999, Atwater won two Super Bowls, went to eight Pro Bowls, was a 2x-first-team All-Pro, and 1x-second-team All-Pro, recorded almost 1,200 career tackles, 24 interceptions, and five sacks.
Atwater’s wait has been disappointing, but I am sure that he is going to make sure his speech is going to be up there for one of the best in the class.