DALLAS — Updated at 9:15 a.m. to include a tweet from Jimmy Johnson.
The NFL has canceled its preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers because of the coronavirus pandemic, sources tell ESPN.
The Cowboys were supposed to face the Steelers on Thursday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. ET in Canton, Ohio.
The Hall of Fame's Aug. 8 enshrinement ceremony has also been postponed to 2021, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson was set to be inducted in the ceremony.
This is the first event the NFL has had to cancel during the pandemic, ESPN says.
Additionally, Schefter said the cancellation of the Hall of Fame Game also means the Cowboys will pushback the start of their training camp.
The Cowboys will be hold training camp at The Star in Frisco this summer, rather than traveling to Oxnard, California, where they have held their training camp since 2012.
A number of NFL teams have reported cases of COVID, including the Cowboys. A source close to running back Ezekiel Elliott told WFAA he had tested positive, but was feeling "great."
Earlier this year, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had said the team was excited to play in the game and expected a large Dallas fan base to attend because of Jimmy Johnson's induction into the Hall of Fame.
Johnson tweeted Thursday morning that he had "to wait another year" due to the postponement.
"We are very excited about being named to play in the Hall of Fame Game this year. When we learned that Jimmy Johnson would be involved in the August (and not September) ceremony in Canton, we approached the Hall of Fame and expressed a strong interest in being a part of honoring his legacy and induction by bringing our team and Cowboys fans to Canton," he said.
