The comeback of the Arena Football League has been disastrous since its relaunch in February 2023. Five of the sixteen teams have already folded. TV deals are falling through, and the commissioner was asked to resign and was replaced by Jeff Fisher. Why Jeff wanted to take on this challenge is beyond me, but if he can pull the AFL out of this disastrous situation, he should run for president next.
One of the teams that just folded as of May 9th is the Georgia Force, leaving players stranded, unpaid, and with many questions.
Weeks have gone by, leaving the players of the Georgia Force wondering if they will be paid. The writing was on the wall early when practice kicked off, and there were no footballs, pads, or helmets for the players. There were no trainers, and players had to buy tape on their own or ask opposing teams for help. There were no per diems, and all standard proper operations were non-existent.
The head coach of the Georgia Force didn't help the situation by telling players he would replace them if they were unhappy about how they were treated. He gave the players false hope, making them think he was being paid and saying the players should have faith because he was getting paid. He shared the message with the team via text that the team was folding on May 9th, and the only follow-up message was that players had to be out of the hotel by midnight on May 11th.
The lies from the head coach cut deep for players who trusted him. Players have been left asking for money from friends and family just to be able to get home.
For the teams still afloat, they aren’t faring much better. The league has failed on 99.9% of the promises made. They need to shut down until they can figure out the future.
Commentaires