For the second time in the XFL’s strange and short history, the company is no more. After five short weeks of play the football league suspended operations Friday morning, laying off nearly the entire staff, with only a handful of executives retaining their jobs. At this time the XFL reportedly has no plans for a 2021 season.
League COO Jeffrey Pollock reportedly informed XFL employees of the unfortunate news on a 10-minute conference call Friday morning, citing COVID-19 as the deciding factor on the league’s decision to halt all operations and layoff nearly every employee. There’s no word on whether or not players and employees were paid for what remained of the season.
WWE CEO/President Vince McMahon created and owns Alpha Entertainment LLC, the parents company of the XFL. In a statement, the WWE said: “Given the uncertainty of the current environment, the XFL has suspended operations and is evaluating next steps.”
Vince McMahon announced the return of the XFL in May of 2018, forming Alpha Entertainment LLC to oversee the league’s operations. McMahon hired Oliver Luck as league commissioner to oversee transforming the XFL’s image from a strange WWE football knockoff, to a serious alternative to the NFL. Luck did not speak on the call and there’s no word on whether or not he’s still with the company.
This is truly unfortunate news as the XFL had received a lot of praise from fans and critics alike for its unique rule book and lack of commercials, both of which contributed to a more exciting and faster paced game than traditional NFL football. Here’s hoping the XFL gets a third revival some day.
Did you enjoy the second incarnation of the XFL? Let us know down in the comments or hit me up on Twitter, @heyitsjjtravers.
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