SAN ANTONIO – UPDATE: The end for the Alliance of American Football could come in the next 24 hours, as multiple media reports suggest the league is at the edge of folding during its initial season.
Darren Rovell, a sports business reporter and insider, said the AAF will "suspend all football operations" Tuesday.
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In a tweet, Rovell said new owner and majority stake holder Tom Dundon will lose approximately $70 million on his investment after he committed $250 million in mid-February.
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
According to reports, the league will have a conference Tuesday to discuss the future of the league.
Breaking: The Alliance of American Football will suspend all football operations Tuesday, according to ESPN and multiple reports (first reported by ProFootballTalk). pic.twitter.com/f4oOsYKx0x
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 2, 2019
A source tells KSAT the players have all been paid and received their game checks at this juncture of the season.
Dundon's name initially surfaced when the league missed payroll early in the season. This is a developing story. Stay with KSAT for the latest.
A Commanders player has left the stadium and driven off - was carrying a backpack and shoulder pads pic.twitter.com/5kdEcHabaY
— Jake Kobersky (@Jake_Kobersky) April 2, 2019
Source says players in #Alliance (@TheAAF) have been paid, received weekly game checks after initial payroll problem/glitch, which was when league announced Dundon's investment. As @Jake_Kobersky reported, Commanders are still practicing today. #KSATsports #KSATnews #AAF pic.twitter.com/7tfHVzbjQO
— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) April 2, 2019
Despite reports of an AAF shutdown, @aafcommanders are still practicing @InstantReplaySA pic.twitter.com/O4lOwj8gqB
— Jake Kobersky (@Jake_Kobersky) April 2, 2019
ORIGINAL STORY:
The future of the Alliance of American Football is once again up for debate after a report Wednesday in USA Today.
AAF majority owner Thomas Dundon told the media outlet that the upstart league is in danger of folding unless it gets help from the NFL Players Association.
"If the players union is not going to give us young players, we can't be a development league," Dundon told USA Today. "We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league."
In February, Dundon committed to invest $250 million into the league after reports surfaced of missed payroll for the players.
The league dismissed any notion that the Alliance was getting a financial bailout from Dundon, and said it switched payroll companies, causing the delay.
According to USA Today, the NFLPA did not respond to Dundon’s comments. However, USA Today reported a players’ union official expressed serious concerns about the risks of lending active NFL players to the AAF.
Those concerns included possible injuries to active NFL players and possible violations with the current bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players union.
The Alliance is currently in week eight of a 10-week season.
Through the first two months, the San Antonio Commanders have drawn the biggest crowds by far.
The other teams in the eight-team league have drawn less with the exception of Orlando, which has done well with attendance.
The Alliance has stated from the start it prefers to be associated with the NFL as a developmental league, but there is no current agreement between the leagues.