Report: All AAF football operations to be suspended
The Alliance of American Football appears to be struggling mightily in its inaugural season, and it is possible there will be no games played in the league for the remainder of 2019 and beyond.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the AAF is planning to suspend all football operations on Tuesday. While the league is not going under just yet, this could be the first step toward that inevitable outcome.
All @TheAAF football operations will be suspended in the next few hours, per source with knowledge of situation. League is not folding, yet. But it's heading that way.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 2, 2019
A report on Monday claimed Tom Dundon, the founder and majority owner of the AAF, has been threatening to shut the league down within days if no agreement can be reached with the NFL and NFL Players Association. Dundon has envisioned the AAF serving essentially as the “minor leagues” of the NFL, but the NFL does not seem interested in that arrangement. Dundon committed $250 million to the AAF but says he does not want to put anything more into it without some sort of agreement with the NFL.
Darren Rovell of Action Network reports that Dundon is suspending football operations against the wishes of league co-founders Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian.
Sources: The AAF will suspend all football operations today. New owner Tom Dundon will lose approximately $70 million on his investment. Dundon makes decision against wishes of league co-founders Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 2, 2019
The AAF has drawn mixed reviews and attracted some nice celebrity attention recently, but it’s sounding as though it may not be sustainable.