The AAF has officially decided to suspend play for the remainder of the 2019 season.
On Monday, a report suggested that the AAF majority owner was threatening to pull the plug on the league. A day later, that was proven to be accurate.
Here is the text of the note sent to league employees announcing the suspension.
Text of the email that went out to @theAAF personnel a few minutes ago, announcing they’re suspending football operations. pic.twitter.com/KBrL2Wdl4v
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 2, 2019
As you can see in the note, they are terminating all employees as of Wednesday, April 3. That’s going to be a big disappointment for all the players who were counting on the 3-year pay scale, which dictated $70,000 in the first year; $80,000 in the second; and then $100,000 in the third year.
The league, which has eight teams, was scheduled to play 10 regular season games, then semifinals, and then championships, for a maximum of 12 games. They were through eight weeks of league play.
A big part of their business plan was working with the NFL to become a developmental league. With the NFL balking at that, the league’s majority owner has decided to shut things down. It’s possible that things get revived if the league adjusts its business plan or gets the partnership with the NFL they were seeking.
