Scott Daly & Jarron Jones Believe XFL is Set for Longevity
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted sports all around the world as we've seen major sporting events suspend play over the last few days.
When it comes to football, the NFL has yet to truly be impacted as Pro Days and workouts have been suspended (for now) and the new league year is set to kick off this week.
The XFL is a different story. The league announced its season was over and players had mixed emotions.
"I expected it," stated New York Guardians left tackle, Jarron Jones. "I would have loved to play this weekend, but it would have been a really big mistake if someone had gotten exposed to it. They would have been liable and that would have cost the whole league to fold.
"They wouldn’t have been able to take on all these lawsuits because they would have faced lawsuits if people had got exposed. It was smart on the XFL’s behalf.”
Jones' teammate, Scott Daly, was part of the Alliance of American Football and felt some of the same emotions he had when the AAF folded.
"It was definitely a whirlwind," the New York Guardians long snapper said. "As the whole thing was going down, I kept telling my fiance it felt like the AFF 2.0. It was kind of like deja vue. I know the guys who were in the AAF can probably say the same with it end abruptly.
“It was just a crazy timeline not only for us, but for people all over the world. The first whiff of where we might have thought things would be effected was when the NBA announced they were suspending operations."
Daly was actually with some of his Guardians teammates when they realized the season was likely over.
"We saw the NBA tweet and we thought things were serious and the league was in jeopardy," explained Daly. "I thought we might play with no fans in the stands, but then the following morning, more stuff started coming out with the basketball tournaments being canceled. I thought we might not have a game, but after practice, things looked pretty bad. Unfortunately, that’s how it went down.”
It's clear Daly and Jones were disappointed with the canceling of the season, but both players remain positive about the future of the XFL.
“It’s just a bummer," Daly stated. "We were just hitting our stride. We were on a two-game win streak and really starting to come together as a team on and off the field. It was a shame things had to end that way.
"Fortunately, it wasn’t the same as the AAF where it actually folded. The XFL immediately came out and said they were coming back for 2021, so that was definitely good news. It was a bright spot for the future for a lot of guys.
“These things happen and you can’t really control it. We just have to move on.”
Jones has seen the NFL side of the business and appreciates what the XFL has done and believes it's only going to grow.
“I feel this league puts more on the resumè," Jones explained. "It’s only going to get bigger and bigger. There are going to be more kids trying to play professional football and now that you have this league, which is only going to grow.
"I think there are going to be more than eight teams and upwards to 14 or 16 teams. I don’t see it getting to 32, but it will be more looked at as the NBA G-League, which is getting bigger for the NBA.
"It’s teaching young guys and people who were left out of the pros to be a pro. Learning how to be a professional is different. There is a lot that goes into it, but I think it’s a great league and opportunity for a lot of football players who tend to get left out.”
The XFL was a little more conservative than the AAF and Daly believes the leadership will allow the league to sustain longevity.
"There were a lot of similarities, but the one that stood out was the XFL was just better run," said Daly. "I think that was because they had a little more time to create a foundation and get everything set up where it would be run smoothly and effectively. It comes down to the leadership of Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck. They ran things professionally and well done. We were always well informed and everyone was transparent.
“They did a great job of pushing the game out there with the media and using Social Media to their benefit. People saw we had solid TV ratings and the quality of play was good. It was just a lot of fun. People really enjoyed it because people love watching football."
The AAF had money problems with bigger contracts, which was a mistake the XFL didn't make.
“The reason compensation was only $27,000 was you saw the AAF made promises to guys with money and one thing went wrong and they had to fold," said Jones. "The XFL wanted to prevent that and wanted to be able to live up to their promises.
"They didn’t want to discourage other players who aren’t in the NFL from trying to play professional football.”
Stay tuned for more this week from Daly and Jones on IrishSportsDaily.com.