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74-753: The Spring League was the second football property to be established by Woods, following the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) from 2014 to 2015 and preceding the United States Football League revival in 2022 . The league consisted of three to eight teams and played an abbreviated four to six game "season" in April or May. During the year, the league arranged additional scouting events, called Spring League Showcases , that began in July 2017. According to

148-659: A Division III school that does not offer athletic scholarships. At Coe College, Jackson was named to four All-American teams in 2002, rushing for 2,702 yards and 29 touchdowns . He was a two-time Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MVP for the Kohawks. He was also the MVP of the 2003 Stars Bowl . He graduated in 2003 with a degree in sociology . After trying out for the Chicago Bears , Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers , he went on to play indoor football for

222-577: A Wild Card berth in the playoffs, marking Jackson's first time participating in the postseason. On January 10, the Seahawks beat the Vikings 10–9 in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, giving Jackson his first career playoff win. After spending the 2016 season out of football, Jackson announced an attempt at a comeback by signing with The Spring League , a league formed from the remains of

296-428: A career day with 212 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown. In the 2010 season, Jackson finished with 222 carries for 927 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 31 receptions for 215 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts. In 2011 , Jackson was having his best season to date, as the team's undisputed starting running back. Jackson had six 100-yard rushing games in

370-540: A career-high in catches with 46 for 371 yards and two more scores and also completed a 27-yard touchdown pass. Jackson also had 1,014 kickoff return yards making him the first player in NFL history to compile 1,000 rushing and 1,000 kickoff return yards. The 2,516 combined yards are the fifth highest all-purpose yards total in NFL history. In Week 17 of the 2009 season, versus the Indianapolis Colts , Jackson had

444-534: A financial loss in the 2014 season, and Woods is said to have invested almost all of his personal wealth into the league by the end of the 2015 season. A franchise cost was set at $ 500,000. The Brooklyn Bolts was a joint venture between the league and Jeff Wilpon , owner of the New York Mets and Brooklyn Cyclones . The Blacktips and Omaha Mammoths were league owned and operated. The Brawlers were initially reported as being independently owned but no owner

518-701: A partnership with a minor league, following the Association of Professional Football Leagues of the 1940s, the Atlantic Coast Football League in the 1960s, NFL Europe of the 1990s and 2000s, and the NFL-owned teams in the Arena Football League (prior to 2008). Each FXFL team employed 40 players on their roster with a base salary of $ 1000 per game and a maximum potential payout of $ 1250 per game. (At least one team

592-471: A player development fee and provide their own insurance to participate. Isos Capital Management is one of the league's investors. Teams active at the last league season. Before the 2020 Fall season, no official champion were named by the league. Fall Experimental Football League The Fall Experimental Football League ( FXFL ) was a professional football minor league that played two seasons in 2014 and 2015. This league's stated goal

666-575: A player to the sideline for less than a penalty level offense. Both rules and the kickoff formation were later implemented in the XFL. The Spring League was also hired by the XFL to hold three mini-camp style tryouts. With this revenue source, the league's revenue exceeded one million dollars and would have its first profitable year. The two leagues are in preliminary discussions of the Spring League becoming

740-416: A player with a conditioned arm, but otherwise the talent level was below what NFL teams expected for an established developmental league. Some scouts expected younger players that had been to a couple of NFL training camps but in the wrong system. Woods indicated that the older and big names brought attention to the league, which has a secondary purpose of providing a veteran annual showcase. On July 15, 2017,

814-569: A practice received 30,000 views. Coaches with long NFL or College experience included quarterback coach Terry Shea , Steve Fairchild , Donnie Henderson , Dennis Creehan and Art Valero (offensive line). For the April games, the league had four teams and 105 players. Its players included NFL veterans Fred Jackson , Anthony "Boobie" Dixon , Ben Tate , Greg Hardy , Ricky Stanzi , McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Ahmad Bradshaw . The players ranged from two to 10 years out from college. The league indicated two CFL and 10 NFL teams had their scouts visit

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888-492: A similar concept but did not pay its players and operated its seasons all in one location. After five seasons of play, TSL ceased operations as Woods assumed the presidency of a reboot of the United States Football League . As its name implies, the league adopted several experimental rule changes differing from those at other levels of the game with some at the request of the NFL. Initial plans for

962-509: A standout sprinter, Jackson was a state-qualifier in the 100 meters and recorded a time of 21.78 seconds as a member of the Lamar 4 × 100 m relay squad, breaking the previous record. During his senior year, 14 of his teammates signed letters of intent to play college football , but he did not receive any offers. Instead, Wayne Phillips, his Nichols Junior High School football coach, arranged for him and his brother to enroll into Coe College ,

1036-744: A total of 10 yards with his longest for 9 yards. For the East, two quarterbacks, Casey Pachall and Trenton Norvell, made touchdown passes. Pachall completed 4-of-6 passes for 84 yards and a 67-yard touchdown. The game's top rusher was Paul Harris of the East team, who rushed twice for 74 yards and a 6-yard touchdown. East defeated California 23–19. The league had try-outs in various cities in October and November 2017 and February 2018. On December 7, 2017, The Spring League announced it would play its second season in Austin, Texas beginning in late March 2018. The league

1110-724: A traveling team. The FXFL debuted on time with the inaugural game in Omaha on October 8, 2014 between the Omaha Mammoths and the Boston Brawlers at TD Ameritrade Park with the Mammoths winning 41–18. By Week 3 of the 2014 season, Nivea had become a sponsor of the league, with sponsor logo on the left shoulder and helmets; additionally, a reality web show on the FXFL appeared, sponsored by Nivea. The inaugural 2014 season

1184-464: Is now a part of Spectrum News One 's post game show, Buffalo End Zone. Along with fellow Bills alumni Brian Moorman and Terrence McGee and other prominent Buffalo figures, Jackson operates SEAR, a high-end steakhouse located within The Avant in downtown Buffalo. The restaurant closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In October 2018, Jackson teamed up with Codes Socks LLC to create

1258-607: The 2009 season , Jackson signed a four-year contract extension to stay with the Bills. In Week 2 of the 2009 season, Jackson had 28 carries for 163 rushing yards in the 33–20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . At the end of the 2009 season, after winning the starting job from Lynch in Week 12, Jackson eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with 1,062 yards and two touchdowns. He also set

1332-769: The National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Coe Kohawks . After going undrafted in 2003 and playing two indoor football seasons and later in NFL Europe , Jackson spent nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills , becoming their third all-time leading rusher. In the 2015 season, he was the oldest active running back in the NFL. Jackson attended Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas , where he played football. Although he

1406-651: The Philadelphia Eagles against the Cincinnati Bengals . In a 2007 victory over the Miami Dolphins , Jackson rushed for 115 yards with a long of 27 yards to top the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his NFL career. Teammate Marshawn Lynch rushed for 107 yards, marking the first time the Buffalo Bills had two players rush for 100-plus yards in the same game since 1996 when Thurman Thomas and Darick Holmes accomplished

1480-653: The Sioux City Bandits . Jackson played two seasons for the Bandits in the National Indoor Football League (2004) and United Indoor Football (2005). He was named the 2005 UIF co-MVP in 2005; in 18 games he ran for 1,770 yards and scored 53 touchdowns (40 rushing, 11 pass receiving and 2 on kick returns). During this time, he also worked as a youth counselor at Boys & Girls Home Family Services to make ends meet. His jersey number

1554-484: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers , was signed to the Brooklyn Bolts for that year. Each team also had territorial rights to players, so any player in a team's territory was first choice is to that team. The league and team owners originally planned to arrange host families for the players, similar to other minor leagues; players instead were housed in hotels. The league operated under a budget of $ 8 to $ 9 million for

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1628-452: The 2019 season, The Spring League partnered with the XFL to test rule changes the new league hoped to implement for its own 2020 season. One rule change, originally proposed by Pro Football Talk in 2017, was replacing overtime with a two-point conversion shootout occurring simultaneously at both end zones with five rounds in the TSL. Also tested was the tap rule, which allows a referee to send

1702-484: The Bills released Jackson as part of roster cuts. He finished third on the Bills' all-time rushing list. On September 7, 2015, Jackson signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks , reuniting him with former Buffalo teammate Marshawn Lynch . He finished the 2015 season with 26 carries for 100 rushing yards and 32 receptions for 257 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. The Seahawks clinched

1776-499: The FXFL, after two abbreviated seasons of operation, announced it had suspended operations in hopes of finding a more effective business model. A developmental league continued to be an internal NFL discussion as of December 2016 with a decision deadline of February 2017. Like the FXFL, The Spring League is built upon the concept of serving as a second opportunity to allow players to advance to more established professional leagues, yet The Spring League has some prominent differences from

1850-472: The FXFL, which paid a per-game stipend for its players, The Spring League paid only for room and board . Woods said that the lack of payment is out of financial necessity. To be eligible to participate in the league, a player may not be under contract with a pro league nor be eligible for the current year's draft. Players must also pay a $ 350 application fee. By 2019, the application fee had jumped to $ 2000, as players now also had to cover room and board as part of

1924-434: The FXFL. While The Spring League's core player is around 24 years old, it also took in experienced professionals, which the FXFL discouraged. All four teams are brought to one location, and at first not have distinctive identities or home cities/franchises (this began to change beginning in 2019). Rather, the games are more showcases for the NFL and Canadian Football League (CFL) scouts in the spring and summer months. Unlike

1998-578: The Hudson Valley team's future, as the stadium owner had only offered a one-year trial lease to the team, and their lone season was marred by safety concerns and defections. The Brooklyn Bolts were the last holdout, waiting through summer 2016 for word from the league whether or not it would return, before the team's parent company announced in August that neither the league nor the Bolts would return for

2072-453: The NBA, every referee entering the league (in recent years) comes from NBA Development League . We can be a testing ground for proposed rules, too." The league has an agreement with the NFL to use officials from the elder league's training academy for FXFL games. Had the FXFL succeeded in establishing a formal partnership with the NFL, it would have been the fifth such time the NFL has established

2146-699: The Omaha Mammoths would not return for 2015 and would be replaced by a team in the Hudson Valley , but that the Florida Blacktips would make a second attempt at establishing themselves in Florida. The league unexpectedly contracted the Brawlers on September 28, 2015, with the team's franchisee stating that the league demanded a large sum of money in order for the team to take the field for the 2015 season. The 2015 season also ended prematurely, with

2220-649: The Seahawks' training facility between Fred Jackson and teammate Marshawn Lynch ended with Jackson crashing his Corvette , first into a planter box and then a stop sign. However police later denied the report and said he was simply driving too fast. Jackson had his own television program airing on WBBZ-TV . The Fred Jackson Show aired Mondays during football season. It debuted on September 10, 2012, and ran for Jackson's last three years in Buffalo. In 2018, Jackson signed with MSG Western New York to be an analyst for its weekly postgame series, Bills Tonight . Jackson

2294-605: The South Division in Houston, Texas . For the first time, one game every week will be broadcast on Fox including the championship game, while all other games will be broadcast on FS1 and FS2 . The Linemen beat the Jousters 26–23 in the first and only Mega Bowl , and won the TSL championship. Linemen QB Ryan Willis won both final and regular season MVP awards. On June 3, 2021, Woods announced that he had acquired

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2368-531: The South Network , Untamed TV, and Chicago's The U Too . In addition, ESPN3 held online streaming media rights. The broadcast deals provided no guaranteed revenue to the league but did offer a share of advertising; it is not known if the league paid for production expenses or airtime as the UFL had to do. Telecasts of FXFL games abruptly stopped midway through the 2015 season with the last two games on

2442-602: The Spring League Showcase was held at Napa Memorial Stadium in California between Spring League California, coached by Terry Shea and Spring League East, coached by Donnie Henderson. Flofootball.com's FloPRO subscription service streamed the game. David Ash started the game for the California roster and lead several scoring drives. He had 96 passing yards and 9-of-13 passing, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Dixon with an interception and 3 runs for

2516-572: The Texas Outlaws, with other teams announced without ownership were New York, Boston, Omaha, Portland, Oregon and an unselected Florida city. On August 20, 2014, Woods announced that the league would consist of just four teams — Brooklyn , Boston , Omaha and Miami — with players released from NFL teams to allocated and reporting on September 24 with games to start October 8. Cities in which interest in franchises came from Columbus, Ohio , and Springfield, Missouri . The Miami team became

2590-614: The USA Today All Joe Team as he was no longer Pro Bowl eligible. He was ranked 83rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012 . On May 5, 2012, Jackson signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him with the Bills until 2015. He finished the 2012 season with 115 carries for 437 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 34 receptions for 217 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in ten games and eight starts. Jackson had arguably

2664-612: The United States . The league held its annual Summer Showcase in July in Glendale, Colorado with a total of 85 players and another 25 staff members and medical personnel participated. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic all players had to go through 14-day self-quarantine before camp and all meetings were conducted in a video conference. In October 2020 FS1 reached a multi-year agreement to televise The Spring League along with

2738-574: The XFL - the first in June in Mission Viejo, California and the second on July 30 in Long Beach, California , 2019 with 100 pay-to-play players in a four-day camp and a six quarter scrimmage. XFL executives and coaches and ESPN and Fox staff were on hand to view rule tests and in-game technologies, with the broadcaster giving feedback on how it would effect broadcast coverage. A "Fall Showcase"

2812-626: The XFL's official development league. 2019 season practice began March 31, 2019 with double headers on April 6 and 11, 2019. Each of the four teams played two games. For the first time, one of the teams had a brand name; the Austin Generals (formerly South) was named after its host city of Austin, Texas , and used the logo and colors of the former New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League . The remaining three teams retained their generic North, East and West brandings. The league held its two "Summer Showcases" in partnership with

2886-671: The best season of his career in 2013. Despite playing as the backup to C. J. Spiller most weeks, Jackson accumulated 1,283 yards from scrimmage and scored 10 total touchdowns. On October 19, 2014, Jackson suffered a groin injury against the Minnesota Vikings . He returned on November 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs . Jackson finished the 2014 season with 141 carries for 525 rushing yards to go along with 66 receptions for 501 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 14 games and nine starts. On August 31, 2015,

2960-647: The contract to play the 2018 season at the Circuit of the Americas and instead announced events to take place at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Round Rock, Texas . Following the April games another "Summer Showcase" was announced for July 2018. The Spring League announced a "Fall Showcase" for Miami, Florida to take place November 6–9, 2018, which was intended to prepare players for the then-future AAF and XFL , which were set to play winter/spring seasons. For

3034-472: The end of his life as a recluse in Las Vegas. Mettenberger agreed to return as a quarterback. The registration fee for The Spring League's March 2020 season in Las Vegas was $ 2,100. The league was able to get most of its abbreviated 2020 season completed just before social distancing mandates tied to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States took effect, shutting down effectively all in-person sports in

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3108-624: The fall season. The league announced a suspension of operations on September 2, 2016. Commissioner Brian Woods has reportedly expressed interest possibly using a former FXFL team's brand in an indoor football league, such as the Arena Football League . A team in the National Arena League acquired the rights to the Boston Brawlers name in August 2017. In 2017, Woods re-emerged as CEO of another minor professional football league, The Spring League , which operated on

3182-537: The feat. In the 2007 season, Jackson appeared in eight games and finished with 58 carries for 300 rushing yards and had 22 receptions for 190 receiving yards. In Week 17 of the 2008 season, Jackson had 27 carries for 136 rushing yards against the New England Patriots . In the 2008 season, Jackson had 130 carries for 571 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 37 receptions for 317 receiving yards in 16 games and three starts. Before

3256-449: The fee; players with professional experience are exempt from this fee. Players must also cover their own health insurance. The league also assists in developing NFL referees. The Spring League earns additional revenue from a subsidy that the state of Texas provides to hold its events there, as well as from organizations seeking to test equipment and rules changes. In 2019, the XFL served as The Spring League's largest revenue source, paying

3330-404: The first season and expected to be able to be viable with minor or development team attendance of 3,000 plus. The league reported receiving enough financing to operate for the first season. The FXFL sold game film to NFL teams as an additional source of revenue. In the long term, the FXFL did not expect to be profitable without official NFL support, which it never received. The league operated at

3404-403: The first ten weeks. During a Week 11 loss to Miami , however, Jackson suffered a fractured fibula . Jackson was placed on injured reserve later in the week and missed the remainder of the season. The Bills had already been on a three-game losing streak when Jackson was injured, but lost all games but one for the rest of the 2011 season without Jackson. For his strong performance he was named to

3478-550: The first time in league history. They also declared that players who were on an active roster during TSL's fall 2020 season were not required to participate in the tryouts. In April, TSL announced the 2021 season was to start on May 6, and would feature two new teams – the Linemen and Sea Lions (eight teams in total), competing in a six-week regular season from two hub cities: The North Division in Indianapolis, Indiana and

3552-420: The former Fall Experimental Football League , for its summer 2017 showcase. In April 2018, Jackson confirmed he was in talks with the Bills to sign a one-day contract and formally retire as a member of the team. The contract was signed, and Jackson subsequently retired, on April 18, 2018. Jackson is married and has four children. On October 20, 2015, it was initially reported that a drag race just outside

3626-415: The league "six figures" to test-run its rulebook, a payment that allowed The Spring League to turn a profit that year for the first time. In October 2020 the league reached a multi-year agreement with FS1 to televise The Spring League along with the option to acquire a minority stake in the league. CEO Woods founded The Spring League in early 2016. On December 22, 2016, SiriusXM NFL Radio initially reported

3700-516: The league (the league only lasted two years, rendering this rule moot); one anecdote had the league turning down Maurice Jones-Drew on account of his career being near its end (the anecdote may not be true, since Jones-Drew was already signed to a three-year deal with the Oakland Raiders before the league was founded). The league softened its stance on this stipulation for 2015; Josh Freeman , who spent four years as starting quarterback for

3774-473: The league announced the signing of Heisman Trophy winner and former Cleveland Browns first round pick Johnny Manziel to the league playing on the South team. Games to be played on April 7 and 14. Other former NFL commitments to the league were former Cleveland Browns first round pick Kellen Winslow Jr. and former Baltimore Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro . On March 3, the league did not execute on

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3848-741: The league as being owned by the NFL, but retracted that by the end of the day. The NFL informed its teams of the league's existence and its plans to operate from April 5 through April 26, 2017. The Spring League's 2017 season consisted of a four-team, three-week single round-robin tournament in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia at The Greenbrier resort in April, and a two-team "Showcase" game in Napa, California in July. The teams in each tournament were only identified with vague geographic names such as North, South, East, West and California. A game streamed on Facebook received 60,000 views while

3922-482: The league had punting , the PAT and kickoffs taken out of the game, but this proposal was scrapped prior to the start of the season. Woods was quoted as saying about the new league: "Our long-term goal is to establish a partnership with the NFL and we feel can do that on many platforms. It would give them a way to work with younger players that they don't currently have. We can help them train prospective NFL officials—in

3996-465: The league office canceling the last regular season game days before it was scheduled to be played. Since the abrupt end of the 2015 season in October, there were no official statements made by the league (whether the Bolts could claim a championship given the extremely irregular schedule was left undecided) and the last posts on social media were made in December 2015. There was already doubt regarding

4070-543: The league records, as of May 2021, more than 100 former players have signed contracts with a National Football League (NFL) team. The National Football League (NFL) has not had an official developmental league since 2007 with NFL Europe . Several other developmental leagues unaffiliated with the NFL have arisen, such as the FXFL, Gridiron Developmental Football League , and the Rivals Professional Football League . On September 2, 2016,

4144-488: The league was expected to place a franchise in that city for the 2015 season. The announcement also confirmed that the Brooklyn Bolts would return, the league would remain fixed at four teams for the 2015 season, and three out of four of the teams would be sharing a stadium with a New York–Penn League baseball team (this included the Bolts and the Ohio franchise). A later leak reported in the local newspaper The Vindicator that

4218-419: The league while another 20 made requests for video footage. Following the April games, roughly two dozen players were invited to NFL rookie mini-camps . The Carolina Panthers picked up six for their rookie mini-camp. After the first season, NFL scouts seemed to like the league structure but otherwise gave mixed responses. Value was perceived by scouts as they got updated information on forgotten players or saw

4292-716: The new USFL. On February 18, 2022, Woods stated that TSL was "no longer operational", but later reports indicate that it will continues as a business although the football operations are suspended. In June 2023 it was announced that Woods is planning to launch a 11-on-11 spring football league for high school players called the Prep Super League. Games will be played from April 19 through May 24 with teams located in Atlanta , Cleveland , Dallas , Houston , New Jersey , New Orleans , Los Angeles , Miami , Phoenix , San Diego , San Francisco , and Tampa . Players will pay

4366-494: The option to acquire a minority stake in the league, with initial agreement to play a 6-team fall-season in late October and November 2020. The league began its fall season on Oct. 27 with six teams competing in what was intended to be a 12-game format over four weeks in a bubble environment, based out of the San Antonio Alamodome . Fox Sports 1 aired games on Tuesday and Wednesday. The league stated that this time

4440-589: The plaintiffs $ 300,000. In the summer of 2013, Brian Woods began work on a business plan for a future football development league. With NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent indicating in an April 2014 interview a need for a developmental football league, Woods, a sports lawyer and executive director of the Medal of Honor Bowl , put that business plan in action to launch such a league in October 2014 that envisioned six franchises primarily based in minor league baseball stadiums. The Fall Experimental Football League

4514-527: The players did not pay to attend, but Woods later explained that some players did pay, while select others did not. All six teams had brands and names, including the returning Generals (originally from Austin ), Aviators (re-branded from Las Vegas Hughes), and four new teams: the Blues (modified from the FXFL Blacktips ), Alphas (a wolf motif), Conquerors and Jousters . In November 2020, amid

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4588-454: The remaining extant trademarks of the United States Football League with intent of launching a USFL-branded league in 2022 , with Fox Sports remaining as a partner in the new USFL. What was to become of The Spring League remained, at the time, an unresolved question, but according to the initial announcement TSL was to continue, probably as a scouting showcase or developmental operation. It was later reported that TSL in no longer associated with

4662-416: The schedule completely blacked out . * – For the 2014 season, for which a championship game had been scheduled but canceled, the Bolts were awarded the league title based on regular season record. No championship was awarded for the 2015 season. Fred Jackson (running back) Frederick George Jackson (born February 20, 1981) is an American former football running back who played in

4736-571: The team with 731 rushing yards. Jackson was invited to training camp with the Buffalo Bills in 2006 by Bills general manager Marv Levy , a Coe College alumnus himself. He made his first career start against the Washington Redskins in 2007, rushing for 82 yards while catching four passes for 69 yards in a Bills victory. He became the first Division III running back to start an NFL game since December 24, 2000, when former Ferrum College running back Chris Warren started for

4810-475: The then-resurgent COVID-19 pandemic, TSL announced that the league would be cancelling the final week of the season. The top two teams met in the final on December 15, at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida . The Generals finished as the first TSL champions, after beating the Aviators 37–14 in the final. In March 2021, TSL announced that they reached a partnership agreement with Stephen Austin 's American National Combines , and were to hold tryouts for

4884-427: Was a member of the powerful Lamar Vikings teams of the late 1990s, he never started a game in his two years on the varsity team because he was considered too small (5 ft 8 in, 160 pounds) and too slow. He began his senior year as a third-string running back , and only after a knee injury to starter Justin Faust (headed to Stanford ), was he elevated to second-string behind Tommicus Walker (headed to TCU ). Also

4958-405: Was also to have a football-specific tech forum and a joint internship program with the University of Texas’ Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation. Turner Sports announced in mid-January 2018, while the league games would be on its new streaming service B/R Live , the league was also finalizing a deal to practice and play games at Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas . On February 14,

5032-404: Was announced by Woods on May 7, 2014. Original targeted markets for teams were New York City , Boston , Omaha , Orlando , Portland, and either San Antonio or Memphis, Tennessee with Wednesday games. The league is expected to own two teams outright and four franchised teams. By June 20, Tommie Harris and Eric Bassey were announced as the first owners for a franchise in Austin, Texas ,

5106-781: Was cut short after the November 7 contest, with one regular season game and a championship left unplayed. The decision was made that the Bolts, the team with the best record at 4–0, would be declared the first FXFL Champions, according to ESPN3 . In a report from the Associated Press , commissioner Brian Woods said that he was satisfied with the season and said he envisioned a bigger FXFL in 2015, with more affiliations with minor league baseball teams and stadia, targeting such cities as Memphis , Austin , Oklahoma City and somewhere in Florida. Woods also expected Brooklyn and Omaha to return. Woods later backed off plans for expansion and said that 2015 would most likely only have five teams at most. WYTV in Niles, Ohio reported on July 10, 2015 that

5180-567: Was ever identified and the league later admitted that that was not true. For 2015, the franchise was to be operated by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers minor league baseball team. The Hudson Valley franchise was to be held by the Hudson Valley Renegades . The league syndicated its games to a collection of 14 regional channels , digital subchannel networks, and broadcast stations, including SportsNet New York , New England Sports Network (both its main and national feeds), Cox Sports (New Orleans) , Cox San Diego , Altitude , Tuff TV , Soul of

5254-426: Was held in September in Marietta, Georgia , and in November they held another showcase in Miami, Florida . For 2020, TSL played a showcase game against the Japan national American football team at the Ford Center at The Star March 1, and the main competition March 7 and 11 at Sam Boyd Stadium . The designated home team (formerly West) was dubbed the Las Vegas Hughes, named after Howard Hughes , who spent much of

5328-549: Was paying as little as $ 300 per game in the 2015 season. ) The league mainly recruited those who were released from NFL training camps in August and not assigned to practice squads with the players being pooled then allocated to the teams and transferable at the league's discretion. Those that could not go or would not go to college were also considered, but the league did not actively recruit NCAA players. The league also did not pursue experienced professional players and intended not to allow any player to play more than three years in

5402-647: Was retired by the Bandits in 2008. While with the Bandits in 2004, Jackson's childhood home in Arlington, Texas , was torn down to make way for Cowboys Stadium , which replaced Texas Stadium as the home of the Dallas Cowboys in 2009. Jackson played in his former neighborhood on November 13, 2011, when the Bills faced the Cowboys. Jackson played in NFL Europa for the Rhein Fire in 2006, leading

5476-487: Was to become a professional feeder-system for the National Football League (NFL). The league claimed 44 out of 126 players ended up on NFL rosters. After the FXFL ceased operations, FXFL founder and CEO Brian Woods made another attempt at an NFL feeder-system by creating The Spring League in 2017. Woods and the FXFL were subject to lawsuit after folding, claiming he did not pay players, assistant coaches, cheerleaders and officials. In 2019 Woods settled and agreed to pay

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