Coronavirus Puts Country and Alliance on Hold
Alliance Cancels Week 6 and 7
March 19, 2020
Stamford, CT - Due to the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the nation, the AAF has announced that they would be cancelling the games of Week 6 and Week 7. Due to television and stadium contracts, the league will not try to reschedule those games. The league intends to finish a ten game season starting the first weekend of April.
Alliance Cancels 2020 Season
April 1, 2020
Stamford, CT - With no end in sight, the AAF has cancelled the 2020 regular season.
However, the league does intend to play an 11 team playoff on the dates of July 11th, 18th, 25th and August 2nd. Those games will all take place inside of the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility, Ford Center at the Star, in Frisco, Texas. The facility has a capacity of 12,000 but the league has not announced whether or not fans will be able to attend the event as of now. All games would be nationally televised.
“The Alliance is scheduling an eleven-team football tournament in Frisco in July, using a bubble concept that would be the first of its kind in the sport during the coronavirus pandemic."
With the NFL Free Agency beginning this week, Commissioner Oliver Luck also announced that Alliance players could sign with NFL teams but that he hoped they would still "finish out their duties with their AAF club first through our playoffs in July."
Western Division Playoff Teams - #1 Las Vegas Conquerors(5-0), #2 San Diego Fleet(3-1), #3 Seattle Dragons(3-1), #4 Los Angeles Wildcats(3-1), #5 Columbus Generals(3-2), #6 San Antonio Commanders(3-2), #7 St. Louis Stallions(3-2)
Eastern Division Playoff Teams - #1 Tampa Bay Storm(4-1). #2 Miami Blues(4-1), #3 Birmingham Iron(4-1), #4 Orlando Predators(4-1)
NFL Steals Alliance Talent
April 15, 2020
Stamford, CT - The AAF was hit hard by the National Football League in Free Agency as the NFL looked to the league for experienced depth. With the NFL fearing the lost of off-season workouts and training camp due to the coronavirus, the league wasn't looking for developmental bodies in rookies but rather guys that could step in right away and make an impact.
- New York Guardians lost WR Rueben Randle to the New York Giants
- Baltimore Brigade lost WR Paul Richardson and Alfred Morris to the Washington Football Team
- Washington Valor lost RB Lorenzo Taliaferro and Buck Allen to the Baltimore Ravens and WR Eli Rogers to the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Birmingham Iron lost WR L'Damian Washington to the Kansas City Chiefs and WR TJ Jones to the Detroit Lions
- Orlando Predators lost QB Garrett Gilbert to Cleveland Browns, WR Donte Moncrief and OL Chris Martin to the Indianapolis Colts, LB Perry Riley to the Washington Football Team and DB Keith Reaser to the Kansas City Chiefs
- Miami Blues lost WR Leonard Hankerson to the Cincinnati Bengals, WR Kevin White to the Chicago Bears, DL Phil Taylor to the Cleveland Browns and LB Geno Hayes to the Arizona Cardinals
- Philadelphia Soul lost RB Wendell Smallwood, WR Jordan Matthews and OL Chance Warmack signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, WR DeAnthony Thomas signed with the Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Storm lost QB Blake Bortles to the Los Angels Rams, WR Rashad Greene to the Jacksonville Jaguars, OL Seantrel Henderson and DL Dion Jordan to the Miami Dolphins
- Cleveland Gladiators lost RB Jeremy Hill to the New England Patriots, OL Greg Robinson to the Cleveland Browns, OL Jonathon Cooper, DL Robert Nkemdiche and LB Shane Rey to the Arizona Cardinals
- Seattle Dragons lost RB CJ Prosise and WR Ricardo Lockette to the Seattle Seahawks, WR TJ Graham to the Buffalo Bills, LB Steven Johnson to the Denver Broncos and LB Zac Diles to the Houston Texans
- San Diego Fleet lost WR Martavis Bryant to the Las Vegas Raiders, WR Braxton Miller and LB Shea McClellin to the Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Wildcats lost WRs DaVaris Daniels and AJ Jenkins to the San Francisco 49ers
- Las Vegas Conquerors lost WR Corey Coleman and OL Menelik Watson to the New York Giants
- Chicago Alphas lost WRs Shaq Evans, Marquess Wilson and Antonio Callaway to the Chicago Bears and DBs Sam Shields and Tarvarus McFadden to the Green Bay Packers
- St. Louis Stallions lost QB Paxton Lynch to the Kansas City Chiefs, TE Nick Truesdell to the Cincinnati Bengals and DL Vic Beasley to the Atlanta Falcons
- Houston Roughnecks lost QB PJ Walker to the Carolina Panthers, and WRs Cam Phillips and Sammie Coates to the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dallas Renegades lost RB Cameron Artis-Payne and WR Brice Butler to the Dallas Cowboys and DB Delvin Breaux to the New Orleans Saints
- San Antonio Commanders lost WR Greg Ward to the Philadelphia Eagles and WR MeKale McKay to the Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers Select Kenny Robinson
April 25, 2020
New York, NY - The Carolina Panthers selected Robinson with the 152nd pick in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, making him the second AAF player to be drafted into the NFL. Robinson was the first underclassman to join the AAF. With Robinson's Oakland Panthers not making the AAF playoffs, he intends to sign with the NFL's Carolina Panthers next month.
AAF Faces More Negative Momentum
June 15, 2020
Stamford, CT - The Alliance owner's pocket books were hit very hard by the covid-19 pandemic and for the first time in the league's history, they're facing a lot of negative momentum. Some analysts believe the league was set back three years financially due to the cancellation of the season, but those numbers won't be known until the financial fiscal year report is posted publicly.
With the financial numbers starting to roll in, compounding with the Alliance losing over 40 of their best players to the NFL, rumors are circling that the ownership groups of the Orlando Predators, Oakland Panthers, Cleveland Gladiators, Atlanta Defenders, Columbus Generals and the Memphis Express are all waffling on the future plans of their franchises.