The U.S. Soccer Federation is suspending its operations on Tuesday, according to multiple media outlets, including ESPN.
The decision comes a week after league majority owner Tom Dunton said USA Today The NFL’s lack of cooperation put her at risk. According to him, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) is not providing enough young players to the developmental league.
Dunton, who owns the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL, has invested $250 million in the project. According to Darren RowellAction NetworkDundon would lose $70 million on his investment.
He would have made his decision despite dissenting opinions from co-founders Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian.
Polian and Ebersol saw the league as a school circuit for the NFL, with several revisions to the rules to speed up the game and make it safer. No kickoff, or one-point conversion: Each team must attempt a two-point conversion after a touchdown.
Among its coaches, the AAF includes Steve Spurrier, Dennis Erickson, Mike Martz and Mike Riley. It has teams in Orlando, Atlanta, San Diego, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Birmingham and Memphis.
However, problems quickly arose for this circuit, which was developed less than a year later.
Dundon invested US$250 million in the AAF shortly after operations began. At the time, Ebersol said reports that the league needed to be bailed out by Dundon to pay for the cash crunch and paychecks were false. He said the AAF had a problem with its payroll software and it had been sorted.