{"id":62315,"date":"2019-03-28T06:42:41","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T10:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=62315"},"modified":"2019-03-28T16:03:21","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T20:03:21","slug":"aaf-future-not-in-jeopardy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/03\/28\/aaf-future-not-in-jeopardy\/","title":{"rendered":"AAF Future Not in Jeopardy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starting up a new football league isn\u2019t easy, and the AAF has had its share of difficulties during its inaugural season. The most recent near-calamity came when controlling owner Tom Dundon<\/strong> announced<\/a> that the league could be discontinued if the NFLPA didn\u2019t help out. While this is bad news at first glance, fans of the league should not be worried. Dundon\u2019s statement is nothing more than a negotiating tactic to acquire NFL practice squad players.<\/p>\n

AAF Closure Nothing to Worry About<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Dundon\u2019s sent the AAF world into mass hysteria when he said: \u201cWe are looking at all of our options, one of which is discontinuing the league.\u201d Obviously, that sentence makes it sound like the future of the league is highly uncertain. However, when looking at the full quote, it\u2019s clear to see that he\u2019s only saying that to try to increase the AAF\u2019s leverage in obtaining players. The full quote reads \u201cIf the players union is not going to give us young players, we can\u2019t be a development league.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dundon isn\u2019t asking for extra money, but rather the ability to develop players on NFL practice squads. It\u2019s no secret that the AAF could use more talent, and the AAF is trying to get that talent while also helping NFL teams get a better look at some of their players under contract.<\/p>\n

The NFLPA is open to the idea, but there are a few setbacks stopping the idea from coming to fruition. The biggest obstacle is dealing with injury risk. Should an NFL practice squad member suffer an injury while playing in the AAF, that obviously makes it impossible for them to make an actual NFL roster. This situation would bring a serious financial blow to the player, and the NFLPA won’t let NFL\u00a0practice squad members play in the AAF without some form of financial insurance should injury strike. Dundon is apparently trying to speed up those negotiations\u00a0through his most recent comment.<\/p>\n

If the league is on the verge of collapse, that\u2019s news to AAF Head of Football Bill Polian. According to CBS Sports, Polian was \u201conly made aware of the issue\u201d after Dundon issued his statements. Polian, as well as everyone in the AAF front offices, fully expect the regular slate of games to occur in Week Eight.<\/p>\n

The league isn\u2019t in financial turmoil (anymore), so it would make no sense for Dundon to shut down the AAF just two months after investing $250 million in the product. This is nothing more than a bluff to get NFL talent into the AAF. Whether it works or not is yet to be seen, but the AAF will be around for at least the remainder of the 2019 season.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>