In need of a replacement commissioner amid a rocky debut, the new Arena Football League did what spring football leagues often do: pursue declining NFL talent.
In this case, it’s Jeff Fisher.
The former Los Angeles Rams head coach confirmed to reporters Tuesday that he will become interim commissioner of the recently restructured AFL. According to Lauren Walsh of WSMV. Fisher will replace current commissioner Lee Hutton III, reportedly at the request of the league’s ownership group.
Fisher has been involved in spring football for many years, first as the head coach of the USFL’s Michigan Panthers and most recently as a member of the ownership group of the AFL’s Nashville Cats.
“This league is good. I’m looking forward to continuing and finishing the season,” Fisher said via WSMV.
While Fisher is optimistic, the nature of the mid-season, owner-driven hire reflects the dire situation in the AFL’s third life. The second AFL ended in bankruptcy in 2019, with new investors restarting the league with 16 teams this season.
After three weeks of games, the number of teams was reduced to 12. The Minnesota Shinhwa, Philadelphia Soul, Iowa Rampage, and Georgia Force have all disbanded, with Shinhwa and Soul ending their activities last week. Judging by the following article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the exit was anything but graceful.
Tristen Barnett, a Fredericksburg, Va.-based licensed sports agent who represents the Soul’s projected starting quarterback Joe Mancuso, said in a phone interview Friday that his client is depressed in the Super 8. He said he had a similar experience. Burnett said Soul players were kicked. Leaving the motel early on a Friday morning and hitting the street; motel bills not paid; players’ luggage taken and locked in motel rooms;
“Law enforcement obtained items from the Super 8,” Barnett said. “Joe is just down. He did well in the IFL. [Indoor Football League] With the Vegas Nighthawks. He bet on himself in a new league.He had a nice apartment in Henderson for his young son and his wife [Nev.], and will he go for this?of [Soul] The players were promised apartments. Drugs and prostitutes frequented the motel. It was shameful. Joe was like, “I haven’t got my W-2 yet to get paid.” Since there is no players’ association, no one will take their place. ”
The economics surrounding spring football are tough without the NFL’s help, but the AFL was originally supposed to get help by airing games on the NFL Network. Those plans went awry before the season, and the fallout is seen here.
It’s hard to imagine Fisher making much of a difference in his playing numbers here, but right now the league wants a steady presence as it figures out how to bounce back for a second season or prepare for another bust. Maybe.
