NFL fans all make the same joke as lights go out during Hall of Fame Game
NFL fans all make the same joke as lights go out during Hall of Fame Game originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The opening game of the 2023 NFL preseason didn't exactly run smoothly.
Following the third quarter of Thursday night's Cleveland Browns versus New York Jets matchup, several banks of lights went out at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
With the venue not fully lit up, the Hall of Fame Game entered a delay.
The 4th quarter of the HOF game is on hold as we are currently in a delay due to the lights going out 😫 pic.twitter.com/QBI5rwj64m
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 4, 2023
The lighting issue was ultimately resolved and the fourth quarter began after a roughly 15-minute delay.
During the pause in the action, though, the NBC broadcast showed new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sitting on New York's sideline in the dark.
The lights turned off 😅 pic.twitter.com/EnOEInnakt
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 4, 2023
And that image unsurprisingly prompted a ton of darkness retreat jokes on social media.
Darkness retreat. pic.twitter.com/f0z72n8gaU
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) August 4, 2023
Aaron Rodgers darkness retreat part. 2 pic.twitter.com/YHmGqVbusp
— J&D Productions (@JDProdNFL) August 4, 2023
Dude, we get it, you went on a darkness retreat pic.twitter.com/vKAF3vW67N
— Eric Thompson (@eric_j_thompson) August 4, 2023
hello darkness my old friend pic.twitter.com/UeTZzIsdKB
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) August 4, 2023
this darkness retreat thing isn't all it's cracked up to be pic.twitter.com/mS1TJ0PUYk
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 4, 2023
Aaron Rodgers having darkness retreat flashbacks pic.twitter.com/YAvgkmbQxw
— Playmaker Betting (@playmakerbet) August 4, 2023
Hall of Fame Game turned into a darkness retreat.
— JR Radcliffe (@JRRadcliffe) August 4, 2023
"Turn the lights off" pic.twitter.com/7C1OGGHJU1
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 4, 2023
You merely adopted the darkness. Aaron Rodgers was born in it. pic.twitter.com/zXM2VWNuxJ
— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) August 4, 2023
Rodgers, 39, went on a darkness retreat in Oregon this past February as he pondered his playing future. He spent multiple days in a 300-square-foot room that had no natural light and only featured a bed, a meditation mat and a bathroom.
Rodgers said he went into the retreat leaning 90 percent toward retiring, but he emerged from the darkness wanting to return for a 19th season. The Green Bay Packers, however, weren't exactly welcoming Rodgers back with open arms, which put the wheels in motion for the four-time NFL MVP's eventual move to the Jets.
Rodgers, who recently took a massive pay cut, wasn't in uniform for Thursday's preseason opener. That may continue to be the case until Sept. 11 when the Jets open their season at home against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.