2023 XFL season

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2023 XFL season
Logo of the XFL.svg
LeagueXFL
SportAmerican football
DurationRegular season:
February 18 – unknown
Seasons
← 2020
2024 →

The 2023 XFL season is the league's second season, the first planned under its new ownership group of Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale (RedBird Capital), and the third in the history of the XFL brand created and originally owned by Vince McMahon. The season is currently expected to start on February 18, 2023.

Background[]

The 2020 XFL season was cut short following five weeks of play in March 2020, as a result of immediate and prolonged stay-at-home orders and prohibitions on large gatherings imposed in an effort to stop the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[1] XFL parent company Alpha Entertainment declared bankruptcy in response to the measures—most of which would not be fully lifted until vaccines were made available and widespread in spring 2021—on April 13, 2020.[2] The assets of the league were sold to Johnson, Garcia and Cardinale on August 3, 2020.[3][4]

During the course of the 2021 offseason, the XFL's new ownership group began discussions with the Canadian Football League regarding a potential partnership; these discussions collapsed in July, leading the league to cancel its planned 2022 season.[5]

On December 2, 2021, it was revealed on Dany Garcia's Instagram page that the 2023 XFL season would start on its traditional date of the Saturday after Super Bowl LVII (as it had in 2020 and 2001), February 18, 2023. A player combine is scheduled for June 18, 2022 and training camps would begin January 8, 2023.[6]

McMahon fired Commissioner Oliver Luck shortly before the bankruptcy;[7] the league was left in the stewardship of Jeffrey Pollack during the transition to new ownership until Pollack resigned and was succeeded by former Buffalo Bills President Russ Brandon in November 2021.[8]

Teams[]

On March 11, 2022, multiple news reports indicated that the XFL had hired Reggie Barlow away from the Virginia State Trojans to serve as a head coach. The reports indicated Barlow would coach a team in San Antonio, Texas; San Antonio was not among the eight cities that hosted an XFL team in 2020[9] but had begun discussions with the XFL during the 2020 season[10] and had hosted the San Antonio Commanders, the top-attended team in the Alliance of American Football in 2019. Virginia State confirmed Barlow had taken a job with the XFL,[11] but no confirmation from any party has verified the San Antonio team's existence.

During the bankruptcy, the league held discussions with the home stadiums of the Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, St. Louis Battlehawks and Seattle Dragons with intent to keep the teams in their home cities after bankruptcy.[12][13] The Roughnecks had the trademarks for their logos invalidated in 2021 following legal challenges from the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots.[14] The league had also begun discussions about moving the New York Guardians in-market to the smaller Red Bull Arena;[15] Garcia and Johnson retained Guardians president Janet Duch as part of its executive team. The Tampa Bay Vipers are not expected to return following low attendance, with the league having discussed moving the team to nearby Orlando (home of the AAF's Orlando Apollos and original XFL's Orlando Rage) prior to bankruptcy.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "XFL 2020: Coronavirus forces start-up league to suspend play, but players can sign with NFL teams before FA". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  2. ^ "XFL Files for Bankruptcy, Lost '10s of Millions' Due to COVID-19".
  3. ^ Millitzer, Joe (August 3, 2020). "XFL purchased by a group including Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson". Fox 2 Now. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  4. ^ Seifert, Kevin (August 3, 2020). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, investor group agree to buy XFL for $15M". ESPN. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Seifert, Kevin (July 7, 2021). "XFL planning 2023 return after talks on partnership with CFL tabled". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021. The XFL announced on Wednesday that it is planning to relaunch in 2023 after talks with the Canadian Football League about collaboration between the two leagues were tabled.
  6. ^ "XFL kickoff set for February 18, 2023 | 3DownNation". Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  7. ^ Williams, Charean (May 13, 2020). "Vince McMahon lists reasons for Oliver Luck's firing from XFL in court filing". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Seifert, Kevin. "XFL hires former Buffalo Bills CEO Russ Brandon as league president". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  9. ^ PHILLIPS, MICHAEL. "Virginia State football coach Reggie Barlow leaving to coach in the XFL". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  10. ^ Miketniac, Chuck (April 13, 2020). "SOURCES: XFL called about relocating team to San Antonio days before suspending operations". WOAI-TV. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  11. ^ "Reggie Barlow Accepts Head Coach Position With XFL". Virginia State University Athletics. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  12. ^ Franklin, Tom (May 20, 2020). "REPORT: XFL asks St. Louis about possibly reinstating lease agreement". KMOX. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  13. ^ Willeke, Becky (May 20, 2020). "Is the XFL coming back? League looking at reinstating St. Louis Dome lease". KTVI. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  14. ^ "NFL Opposes XFL's Trademark for Houston Roughnecks Logo - Gerben Law Firm". www.gerbenlaw.com. 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  15. ^ a b Fischer, Ben (April 17, 2020). "Last Call for the XFL". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
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