Tom Dundon, the majority investor in the Alliance of American Football, says the new league is in danger of folding after just one year if the NFL Players Association doesn’t cooperate and allow them to use young players from NFL rosters.
“If the players union is not going to give us young players, we can’t be a development league,” Dundon tells USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league.”
According to USA Today, a players’ union official expressed serious concerns about the risks of lending active NFL players to the AAF.
USA Today’s source explained that the players’ union is founded on the belief that using active NFL players and practice squad members for the AAF would violate the terms of the CBA and the restrictions that prevent teams from holding mandatory workouts and practices throughout the offseason.
Beyond that, there’s also concern that teams would abuse their power and pehaps force young players into AAF action as a condition for consideration for NFL roster spots in the fall.
Dundon mentioned that they’re considering all options and expects to make a decision about the league’s future over the next two days.
The AAF is reportedly hoping to get permission to use practice squad players, particularly No. 3 quarterbacks and young linemen starting next season.
Dundon invested $250 million into the AAF back in February to ensure that they could pay their bills and keep the league going.
We’ll have more regarding the AAF as the news is available.
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I called it months ago on NFLTR, when the reports first started appearing about the new AAF. There is only one football league that the FANS care about and want and that is the NFL. Plus! There is a supplemental pro league for the NFL that has been in existence for over a 100 years, that being NCAA College Football.
If the Donald Trump led USFL did NOT last back in the 80s. And the USFL was the closest thing to the NFL as far as a draft, coaches and popular college players (Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Reggie White, Doug Flutie, Marcus Dupree, etc.) skipping the NFL and loads of CA$H to join the USFL. Do you really think the AAF has a chance?
Also! The NFL tried the supplemental league approach with the WLAF based in Europe back in the 90s. For those of you that don’t recall the WLAF, it was the acronym for the World League of American Football not a radio station. This NFL idea was a disaster from the start and did NOT work out either. Yet! Roger Goodell keeps dumping funds into England and now Mexico to try and make it work. This comes at the cost of one home game, that the true NFL TEAMS’ FANS lose out on going to each week during the NFL season.
Now! We the NFL FANS get to see Donald Trump’s BFF The WWEs owner Vince “The Genetic JackHammer” McMahon roll out his reboot of the XFL. You all remember the original XFL, the one that allowed players to wear any kind of moniker on the back of their jerseys. One player for instance was known as “HE HATE ME”. Are you friggin kidding me?! This McMahon XFL reboot is destined for failure as well.
Here’s a thought. How about Tom Dundon and Vince McMahon get together and pool their funds into a new NFL team for possibly the Oakland or St.Louis areas. That would be productive and cost effective for the long term.
Here’s the best idea of all. STOP! With trying to globalize the NFL. When everyone knows that Europe has their version of football. That is the ever popular sports known as soccer and rugby. The NFL could then use those well wasted funds and upgrade the NFL for instance lengthening OTAs and spring workouts, shortening the exhibition season to 3 games and making the NFL regular season an 18 game schedule.