Orlando Apollos running back D'Ernest Johnson (22) carries against the Arizona Hotshots during an Alliance of American Football game in Orlando, Fla., on March 16, 2019. (Associated Press)
The Alliance of American Football is reportedly in danger of folding as soon as this weekend if it doesn’t reach an agreement with the NFL Players Association to use the league’s young players.
The eight-team league, now in Week 8 of its 10-week inaugural season, launched in February in the hopes of existing both alongside the NFL and as its development league.
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"If the players union is not going to give us young players, we can't be a development league," Tom Dundon, the league's majority owner, told USA Today on Wednesday. "We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league."
The NFLPA has not responded to claims that its lack of cooperation may force the AAF to disband.
Orlando Apollos quarterback Garrett Gilbert dives over Arizona Hotshots defensive end Rykeem Yates (92) during an Alliance of American Football game in Orlando, Fla., on March 16. (Associated Press)
The players’ union is concerned that NFL teams would use the AAF to force young players and practice squad members into the league in order for them to be considered for an NFL position the following season, a union official told USA Today.
There are also concerns of player safety regarding rest and recovery time, on top of the possibility of a player suffering serious injury and missing an NFL season, the official said.
Dundon told the outlet that he expects to decide on the league’s future by the end of the week. Last month Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, committed to investing $250 million into the new league.
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The news of league’s possible collapse comes a week after it announced the signing of Heisman Trophy winner and former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who was hoping to revitalize his floundering career with the Memphis Express.