Despite a successful first week of action, the Alliance of American Football has seen a steady decline. Rumors have swirled that the league is struggling to pay its players and that they are at risk of going bankrupt just weeks into its inaugural season. It's a pretty damning development for a league that was hoping to provide fans a much-needed dose of football in the absence of the NFL.
Earlier this week, we reported that majority owner and chairman Tom Dundon was complaining about the NFLPA's reluctance to provide young players to the league for development opportunities. With this in mind, Dundon, who also owns the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL, threatened shutting down the league completely.
"If the players union is not going to give us young players, we can't be a development league," Dundon told USA Today Sports. "We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league."
The latest development in this story comes from ProFootballTalk which reported that it's "entirely possible that the plug will be pulled" after this weekend's games. While it was originally believed that the league would fold after the season, now it looks like it could happen before the end of the regular season.
If you're a fan of the brand new league, this is awful news to hear. It's especially disappointing for all of the player currently using the league as their meal ticket back into the NFL.