The Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants will play their National
Football League game Monday night at Ford Field in Detroit after heavy
snow accumulations caused the inflatable Teflon roof of the Metrodome to
collapse and send snow pouring down onto the playing surface of the
stadium at about 5 a.m. Sunday.
No injuries were reported
during the collapse, and Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission
Chairman Roy Terwilliger said he is hopeful that repairs can be made in
time for the next scheduled home game on December 20 against the Chicago
Bears.
Numerous alternative sites were considered for the
game, including the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium. Both the
New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts also offered to help.
The
Metrodome is 28-years-old and seats 64,000. Aramark, the Vikings’ food
service provider, is donating all the food prepared for the postponed
game to the Minneapolis-based Twin Cities Second Harvest Heartland.
The city received 17.1 inches of snow during the storm that started Friday night and ended around 10 p.m. on Saturday.