Tag: xfl 2020

Carolina Panthers draft XFL DB Kenny Robinson

The Carolina Panthers dipped into the bankrupt XFL to pick DB Kenny Robinson.

Kenny Robinson will be a unique selection. Barring a return of the XFL, the former West Virginia and St. Louis BattleHawks DB will become the only player from the reincarnated and deflated league to become an NFL draft pick.

The Carolina Panthers selected Robinson in the fifth round Saturday.

The former West Virginia Mountaineer found his way to the fledgling league and did a solid job in the St. Louis secondary.

Robinson wrote a letter to NFL GMs for The Players’ Tribune April 21.

I consider myself a ball hawk. Somebody who knows how to find the football, whether it’s in the air or on the ground. A guy who relies on his preparation — his understanding of defenses and what offenses are trying to do — so he can play fast and free without thinking. Someone who’s not afraid to put a lick on somebody, or get down in the box and make plays at the line of scrimmage.

In five games in the XFL, I had 21 tackles, two picks and a sack.

… And I know the XFL is not the NFL. I know that. But I could tell the difference in the speed of the game the second I stepped on the field in a BattleHawks uniform. There was definitely an adjustment, but I believe I made it pretty easily. And I know the NFL game is even faster than the XFL. And I believe I can make that transition just as easily.

Report: XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck sues Vince McMahon

XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck is taking the legal route against WWE boss and football league founder Vince McMahon.

XFL Commssioner has been silent since the league’s founder, WWE boss Vince McMahon disbaneed the league and filed for bankruptcy. Now, comes a report from The Athletic, Luck is suing McMahon for wrongful termination.

Luck was hired after a strong run with the NCAA as the league’s commissioner. His contracted called for $20 million over multiple years.

Luck says he fulfilled his end of the bargain, running the league since its resurrection in January 2018 — only to be “wrongfully terminated.”

The league made it through five games in its reincarnation before play was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. McMahon ended the league permanently when he filed for bankruptcy.

Per report:

In a federal lawsuit filed last week in Connecticut, Luck seeks unspecified damages from McMahon.

Luck’s complaint is heavily redacted to protect confidential contract information. But what it does say is, “Despite fulfilling his obligations as Commissioner and CEO since May 30, 2018, Mr. Luck was wrongfully terminated by Alpha Entertainment LLC (“Alpha”), an affiliate of Defendant, on April 9, 2020. Thus, Alpha has repudiated Mr. Luck’s employment agreement. Mr. Luck brings this action for breach of contract and declaratory judgment against…

Luck’s complaint states he was terminated April 9, one day before most of the league’s staff. The complaint includes a letter “Luck sent to McMahon disputing the reasons laid out in the termination letter,” The Athletic report states.

Luck “wholly disputes and rejects the allegations set forth in the Termination Letter and contends they are pretextual and devoid of merit,” per the complaint. Luck is seeking unspecified damages, attorney’s fees and interest and a declaratory judgment on fulfilling the terms of the contract.

Luck put together a strong management team that came up with many innovations. The XFL kickoff was well-received with its newfangled lineup. There were many successes for the league, as opposed to the circus its first live proved to be.

XFL innovations NFL should implement and avoid

The XFL is done but its impact should not be ignored by the NFL.

The XFL has suspended operations and appears to be done forever. However, the fledgling league once again brought innovations the NFL should seriously consider adding to its repertoire and broadcasts.

The kickoff

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The XFL kickoff was intriguing and beyond clever. If the NFL is serious about cutting out the danger of concussions and injuries suffered on kickoffs, it would quickly follow the XFL’s lead. And, as much as the big league has to try and doctor it with its own spin, leave what the XFL created alone. It works and works quite well.

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XFL suspends operations, reboot ends after just 1 season

The XFL is suspending operations, effectively immediately, and terminating all of their employees after only completing five games.

The coronavirus put all live sports to a screeching halt in March, causing the cancellation of the NCAA tournament and all NCAA spring sports, and delaying the end of the NBA regular season and the start of the MLB season.

All of those entities, however, will survive the temporary loss of revenue from the shutdown. The fledgling XFL, halfway through the first season of their new reboot, will not.

XFL COO Jeffery Pollock held a conference call with XFL employees and informed them the league is suspending operations and that all employees have been laid off.

The league did not specifically announce a reason, although COVID-19’s massive impact on the league’s revenue likely has a huge impact on the decision to suspend the league.

The XFL has been in the works for multiple seasons, finally playing games in February of 2020. Eight teams, including the Seattle Dragons, were able to play a five-game schedule before the shutdown.

The league had tv deals on ESPN, FS1 and CBS, and while the talent level was not on par with the NFL, the games were still entertaining and many of the innovative rule changes appealed to fans.

Now, employees will be out of a job and the players will have to hope they performed well enough to land in an NFL training camp, as they no longer have the XFL to continue their professional playing career.

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Kansas City Chiefs sign Jordan Ta’amu of XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks

St. Louis BattleHawks quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has agreed to a one-year deal with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Look out, Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing in a quarterback.

The Super Bowl champions have agreed to a one-year deal with Jordan Ta’amu, who most recently played for the St. Louis BattleHawks in the XFL.

The dual-threat quarterback from Ole Miss was third in passing, and seventh in rushing in the new league. Ta’amu had 1,050 yards passing and 217 yards rushing as St. Louis went 3-2 before the league canceled its season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ta’amu won’t be starting any time soon as the Chiefs are the Super Bowl champions and have Mahomes, arguably the top quarterback in the NFL running the show on offense. Ta’amu, however, gives Andy Reid options on short yardage and goal-line situations.

XFL QB star P.J. Walker will sign with Carolina Panthers

XFL star quarterback P.J. Walker is heading to the NFL, agreeing to play for college coach Matt Rhule with the Carolina Panthers.

The Carolina Panthers will sign XFL star P.J. Walker, creating a reunion of the quarterback and his college coach, Matt Rhule, in the NFL.

Walker played four seasons for the Panthers’ new coach at Temple.

Walker led the Houston Roughnecks to an undefeated season, which was cut short after five games when the XFL canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Walker was brought to the attention of the new league by former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, whose dad, Oliver, is commissioner of the XFL.

Walker accounted for 15 touchdowns and threw for 1,338 yards.

Walker, 25, was one of the best players in Temple history and led the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015 and 2016. He is the school’s all-time leader in virtually every passing statistic, including yards (10,668), touchdowns (74) and completions (830).

Temple went 28-19 in games started by Walker, who was the starting quarterback for all 28 of Rhule’s wins at the school.

XFL suspends 2020 season due to coronavirus pandemic

The XFL announced Thursday it has suspended its season after five weeks.

The XFL has fallen in line with other sports. The league announced Thursday it has suspended play for the rest of the 2020 regular season due to the pandemic impact of the coronavirus.

Commissioner Oliver Luck commented on the decision, which was addressed in the league’s tweet.

The league made it through half of its first season. The Houston Roughnecks were the best team, going 5-0. Television ratings started strong and started to fizzle as the season continued.

However, the league had some innovations that were well-received, such as the newfangled kickoff. The broadcasts also featured incredible access on many levels, via the coaches, players and replay booths. Sideline reporters also conducted interviews with players and coaches during the games.

Meanwhile, another company run by XFL boss Vince McMahon — WWE — will not cancel/postpone WrestleMania 36 … yet. The event is scheduled for April 5 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

The company released a statement:

WWE ISSUES STATEMENT ON WRESTLEMANIA 36 STATUS

BY F4W STAFF | @WONF4W | MAR 12, 2020 2:48 PM

WWE has issued a statement on the current status of WrestleMania 36.

“While we remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, we are putting contingency plans in place in the event that it is cancelled by government officials, civil authorities and/or local venues,” WWE said. “The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay.”

Friday’s SmackDown will air on FOX but not from Detroit, where it was scheduled.

“Friday Night SmackDown on March 13 will air live as regularly scheduled and emanate from WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida with only essential personnel in attendance,” WWE said. “The event was originally scheduled in Detroit, Michigan.”

XFL midterm report card grades for all 8 teams

The XFL is halfway through its season and the Houston Roughnecks are way ahead of the rest of the teams.

The XFL has reached the midpoint of its season. One team stands above all: the Houston Roughnecks. How does everyone grade out?

Dallas Renegades

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

One of the disappointments. There were high hopes when Bob Stoops was named coach of the Renegades. He brought the ultimate winning pedigree from Oklahoma. Dallas has struggled on offense and it has been dampened by injuries to quarterback Landry Jones, expected to be a huge asset. At 2-3, the Renegades need to find their stride in the second half of the season or they won’t qualify for the playoffs. Grade: C-minus

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Watch: Vipers’ Taylor Cornelius delivers some Mahomes magic

Taylor Cornelius found Jalen Tolliver in the back of the end zone for a Tampa Bay Vipers’ touchdown.

The Tampa Bay Vipers have found life with Taylor Cornelius at quarterback. In the second quarter Sunday against the LA Wildcats on the road, Cornelius delivered some Patrick Mahomes-type magic and found Jalen Tolliver in the back of the end zone.

Watch this dart from the 6-foot-6, 233-pound former Oklahoma State QB:

Another angle:

Tolliver, who played at Arkansas-Monticello, was quick to say who the score was for:

Watch: New York Guardians score 2 touchdowns in 40 seconds

An 80-yard pass and a Pick-Six gave the New York Guardians a pair of TDs in less than a minute.

The New York Guardians erupted for 21 points in the third quarter Saturday at Dallas.

Luis Perez found Colby Pearson deep and the wide receiver made some sweet moves and was in the end zone 80 yards later.

Then, Philip Nelson tried a pass that was picked off by linebacker Ryan Mueller, who took it back 33 yards for a TD that eventually made it 27-6.

The Guardians couldn’t stand all the prosperity as their next kickoff was returned 97 yards for a score by the Renegades’ Austin Walter.