2022 Major League Football season

The 2022 Major League Football season was the planned inaugural season of Major League Football (MLFB), a publicly traded professional football league. MLFB held its training camps in Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

2022 Major League Football season
LeagueMajor League Football
SportAmerican football
DurationAugust 9 – September 6 (planned)
Number of games4 per team (Regular season)
Number of teams4

This season was considered a "demonstration season" of the self proclaimed "developmental showcase league,” and it consisted of only four teams: Alabama Airborne, Arkansas Attack, Ohio Force and Virginia Armada, which were known as the "Core Four.”[1] It was cancelled during training camp, as players were evicted from the hotels where they were being housed over unpaid bills, while MLFB acknowledged that a "funding delay" had forced the suspension of the season.[2]

Teams

On March 18, 2022, MLFB launched a new website and revealed that there would be only four teams for the first season.[3] At first the plan was to put a team in Texas (Texas Independence) but after the league could not secure a stadium deal on time, they changed their plans and relocated the team to Mobile, Alabama (Alabama Airborne) six weeks before the start of the training camp.[4][5]

Club City Stadium Capacity Head coach
Alabama Airborne Mobile, Alabama Ladd–Peebles Stadium 40,000 Jerry Glanville
Arkansas Attack Little Rock, Arkansas War Memorial Stadium 54,120 Earnest Wilson
Ohio Force Canton, Ohio Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium 23,000 Bill Conley
Virginia Armada Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach Sportsplex 6,000
(expandable to 17,000)		 Terry Shea

Coaches and players

Coaches

On March 15, 2022, the league announced its first head coach in Jerry Glanville.[6] On March 22, 2022, the league revealed its second coach in Terry Shea.[7] On March 30, 2022, former Ohio Dominican head coach Bill Conley, was announced as the league's third head coach.[8] After some delays and many candidates, MLFB hired their fourth coach for 2022 Earnest Wilson,[9] who was most recently the head coach at Defiance College.[10]

Some of the more recognizable assistants were Jeff Reinebold (QB/WR)[11] Robert Lyles (DL/LB) and Kim McCloud (DB)[12] at Alabama, Art Valero (OL) and Eric Hicks (DL) at Virginia,[13] Morris Watts (QB/WR) at Ohio[14] and Derrius Bell (DC) at Arkansas.[15] Reinebold would leave before the league collapsed to become director of player development at the University of Hawaii.[16]

Coaching interns were supposed to be paid $5,000 plus housing and food.[17]

Players

Contrary to other start-up leagues, the MLFB elect not to conduct a player draft, and the coaches were responsible for selecting players on their roster. Offseason roster number reported to be around 70 players per team, while each team would be using 53 men rosters for the season.[18][19][20] Connor Kaegi (Ohio) was the first player to sign for the 2022 season,[21] while Ohio State Placekicker Dominic DiMaccio signed with the league although he still had college eligibility.[22]

For the 2022 season, the players would've been paid $2,000 per game, with a $500 bonus for wins.[23] In realty, players were paid only $50-a-week stipend during training camp, before the league was shut down,[24] while it was revealed that the league had not paid for the hotels in the city of Mobile and on certain days didn't even provide food to the players.[25]

Season structure

This season was considered a "demonstration season" of the self proclaimed "developmental showcase league,” and it was to consist of only four teams: Alabama Airborne, Arkansas Attack, Ohio Force and Virginia Armada. The MLFB held its training camps in Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, while the championship game was supposed to be at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at Pro football hall of fame village at Canton, Ohio.

Preseason

The MLFB held its training camp for all four teams with over 270 players[26] in one central location - Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, starting on July 17, 2022.[27][28][29][30][31] On July 24, the league held the "MLFB Jamboree", a scrimmage style open practice, featuring all four teams that was streamed live through the league's YouTube channel.[32][33][34][35]

On July 28, 2022, players from the Alabama Airborne and two other teams were abruptly evicted from the hotels where they were being housed over unpaid bills (rumored to be around $80,000[36]) and reports from coaches that the league had "shut down" prior to the start of the season.[37] MLFB acknowledged that a "funding delay" had forced the suspension of the 2022 season.[2] On August 2 it was reported that MLFB employees’ paychecks were "reversed,” [38] while the league official website was shut down as a result of unpaid bills.[39]

Regular season

Source[40]

Canceled games

Week 1
Date and timeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumAttendanceBroadcastViewership
(millions)		 Rating
August 9, 7:05 p.m. ETArkansas AttackVirginia ArmadaVirginia Beach Sportsplex
August 9, 7:05 p.m. ETOhio ForceAlabama AirborneLadd–Peebles Stadium
Week 2
Date and timeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumAttendanceBroadcastViewership
(millions)		 Rating
August 16, 7:05 p.m. ETVirginia ArmadaOhio ForceTom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
August 16, 7:05 p.m. ETArkansas AttackAlabama AirborneLadd–Peebles Stadium
Week 3
Date and timeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumAttendanceBroadcastViewership
(millions)		 Rating
August 22, 7:05 p.m. ETVirginia ArmadaArkansas AttackWar Memorial Stadium
August 23, 7:05 p.m. ETAlabama AirborneOhio ForceTom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
Week 4
Date and timeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumAttendanceBroadcastViewership
(millions)		 Rating
August 30, 7:05 p.m. ETOhio ForceArkansas AttackWar Memorial Stadium
August 30, 7:05 p.m. ETAlabama AirborneVirginia ArmadaVirginia Beach Sportsplex

Championship game

Championship
Date and timeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumAttendanceBroadcastViewership
(millions)		 Rating
September 6, TBDTom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium

Season finances

On July 29, 2021, the league claimed it had secured a line of credit for $1,000,000.[41] On April 4, 2022, MLFB announced one definitive term sheet offering a $7.5 million equity line of credit.[42] Days later, the League received a second term sheet for a similar $7.5 million equity line of credit which would give it access to $15 million in capital for the 2022 Season.[43][44] Neither of these equity lines of credit were actioned on at the time. In early May, MLFB announced they had entered into a $10 million equity line agreement with an institutional investor.[45] This deal was cancelled after, presumably, the league failed to put a team in San Antonio (and later San Marcos).[46]

On July 2, 2022, MLFB announced a partnership with Etix for the 2022 season, as the official online ticketing provider for three of the league's four host markets (Alabama Airborne, Arkansas Attack and Virginia Armada).[47]

References
  1. "Major League Football (MLFB) Announces Mobile as Final Host City for Inaugural 2022 Season".
  2. "Major League Football League 'shut down': players, coaches sent home". WKRG News 5. 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  3. "MLFB Updates Website — Team Names Revealed". March 18, 2022.
  4. "Interview with Steve Videtich – COO Major League Football - Inside MLFB (Ep. 14)". 19 July 2022.
  5. "Interview with Danny Corte of Mobile Sports Authority - Inside MLFB (Ep. 05)". 13 July 2022.
  6. "MLFB Announces Jerry Glanville As Its First Head Coach". March 15, 2022.
  7. "PR: Major League Football (MLFB) Announces New HC Terry Shea".
  8. Perry, Mark (March 30, 2022). "Bill Conley Named Third Head Coach In MLFB". XFL News Hub.
  9. Pelletier, Adam (May 6, 2022). "Earnest Wilson named as Fourth Major League Football Coach". Sports Gambling Podcast. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  10. snissen@crescent-news.com, SHAYNE NISSEN @crescentsports. "DC football: Earnest Wilson steps down as Jackets head coach". The Crescent-News. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  11. "Jeff Reinebold named assistant coach of Major League Football's Alabama Airborne". 20 June 2022.
  12. "MLFB Coaching Staffs: Alabama Airborne Coaches Breakdown". 22 June 2022.
  13. "MLFB Coaching Staffs: Virginia Armada Coaches Breakdown". 22 June 2022.
  14. "MLFB Coaching Staffs: Ohio Force Coaches Breakdown". 25 June 2022.
  15. "MLFB Coaching Staffs: Arkansas Attack Coaches Breakdown". 22 June 2022.
  16. "Long-time CFL coach Jeff Reinebold hired as director of player development by the University of Hawaii". 3DownNation. July 30, 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  17. "The Scoop - Wednesday July 6, 2022".
  18. "Interview: Major League Football CEO Frank Murtha". 23 June 2022.
  19. Pelletier, Adam (March 31, 2022). "Major League Football: A New Spring Football Shakeup?". Sports Gambling Podcast. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  20. "MLFB Rosters Breakdown by Position and Team, Major League Football Roster Analysis". 24 July 2022.
  21. "Major League Football Signs First Quarterback and More Details About MLFB Players, Cities, and Contracts". 5 June 2022.
  22. "Buckeye kicker leaving early for opportunity in MLFB". 22 July 2022.
  23. "Major League Football (MLFB) Announces Mobile as Final Host City for Inaugural 2022 Season". MLFB. June 23, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  24. "Major League Football Members, Players Left Stranded At Unpaid Hotels By League Speak With OutKick: Exclusive". OutKick. 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  25. "What We Know About The MLFB Right Now: Is It Over?". Pro Football Newsroom. July 31, 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  26. "Major League Football (MLFB) Things Are Heating Up For Training Camp In Mobile".
  27. "MLFB Training Camp Report Day One: Players Arriving and Teams Start Meetings". 17 July 2022.
  28. "The Unsung Heroes of Major League Football: MLFB Training Camp Report Day Two". 18 July 2022.
  29. "Day Three of Major League Football Camp: MLFB Teams Start Training Camp Practices". 19 July 2022.
  30. "MLFB Training Camp Report: Day Four On the Ground". 20 July 2022.
  31. "Major League Football Training Camp Report: Final Day at MLFB Camp". 21 July 2022.
  32. "Alabama Airborne Training Camp and Scrimmage Report". 25 July 2022.
  33. "Arkansas Attack Training Camp and Scrimmage Report". 25 July 2022.
  34. "Ohio Force Training Camp And Scrimmage Report". 25 July 2022.
  35. "Virginia Armada Training Camp and Scrimmage Report". 25 July 2022.
  36. "Major League Football (MLFB) Misses Hotel Payment, Players Locked Out Of Rooms, League Shuts Down". XFLNewsHub. 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  37. "BREAKING: MLFB On Brink Of Collapse Before Season Opener". Pro Football Newsroom. July 29, 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  38. "MLFB employees' paychecks 'reversed': league officials radio silent". WKRG News 5. 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  39. "So, in case you were wondering why the #MLFB website leads you to an unavailable webpage, it's because the marketing agency contracted to work with the MLFB hasn't been paid, either. No surprise there. The debt keeps piling up for Murtha & Co".
  40. "Major League Football (MLFB) Announces Mobile as Final Host City for Inaugural 2022 Season". Yahoo!.
  41. "FORM 10-K; Major League Football, Inc. Filed 07/29/2021 for the Period Ending 04/30/2021". OTCMarkets.com. July 29, 2021.
  42. "Major League Football (MLFB) $7,500,000 Equity Line Term Sheet". www.accesswire.com. 4 April 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  43. Pelletier, Adam (April 5, 2022). "Major League Football Continues Announcements with Potential New Funding Announcement". Sports Gambling Podcast. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  44. Pelletier, Adam (April 6, 2022). "Major League Football Secures More Potential Funding: Receives Second $7.5 Million Equity Line Term Sheet". Sports Gambling Podcast. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  45. "Major League Football (MLFB) $10,000,000 Equity Line Stock Purchase Agreement Executed". www.accesswire.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  46. "XFL vs. USFL: Who Is Paying More? XFL Player Contracts, Milt Stegall on CFL Week 9, MLFB Drama".
  47. "PR: Major League Football (MLFB) Announces Partnership with Etix for 2022 Season".
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