Lakewood Ranch-based Major League Football announces it won't play games until 2017
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Major League Football came in with a bang and left with a whimper.
At least for now.
After numerous delays, officials of the league headquartered in Lakewood Ranch finally announced Thursday that its inaugural season has been canceled.
A year ago, MLFB officials said they learned from the mistakes of Donald Trump's failed United States Football League and would triumph.
But it turns out that MLFB got trumped.
The move leaves more than 600 players in limbo along with hotels and other venues around the country that were planning to house the players and supply stadiums for their games.
Giovani Francois, who played at Southeast High School and Florida International University and lives in Bradenton, signed an MLFB contract. He was slated to play for the Florida team in Orlando.
"I found out on Twitter and then I got an email from the league. It's definitely disappointing, I definitely thought they would get it going this year," Francois said. "I am going to explore other options like arena football or the Canadian Football League. I want to do something for
this year. It's a setback."
MLFB president Wes Chandler notified the players Thursday that the league was canceling the 2016 season after the starting date had been pushed back multiple times. He cited financial issues.
Chandler blamed the cancellation on a Texas investor, Clairemont Private Investment Group LLC, which he said pulled out of a contract that was supposed to bring $20 million to the league.
Chandler told the players this would now be a developmental year in preparation for the 2017 season and there would be no games. He did not say what the developmental year would entail.
"I heard they were trying to do some 11-on-11 or one-on-one drills so we could get looked at by the (NFL) scouts," Francois said. "I am finishing up work to get my degree in May at FIU and then try football again. I did my second Pro Day at FIU, and maybe I'll get a few calls from the NFL."
Initially, MLFB officials said its league would end before the NFL camps opened and provide players with an opportunity to show their skills.
"It's become apparent to me that moving forward in 2016 with an abbreviated season would put your safety and quality of play in danger," Chandler said in a letter to the players.
MLFB officials have repeatedly said they would not make the same mistakes of the other spring pro leagues that failed, including the USFL, XFL and WFL.
A big difference according to MLFB senior executive vice president Frank Murtha was that MLFB would own all its teams, alleviating fear that an individual owner who wants to win at all costs would raise the players' salary structures.
Murtha said MLFB still has a $100 million line of credit agreement with Asian Global Capital LTD with $20 million in equity funding.
Murtha said the only factor that has changed is that there won't be any games in 2016. There still will be activities in Manatee and Sarasota counties, he contended, though he would not specify what those might be.
"We canceled the season because of three concerns: the quality of the product on the field, the health and safety of the players, and not enough time to condition and train the players," Murtha said.
The league planned to hold training camp at the Lakewood Ranch Premier Sports Campus for all the teams initially in February, then in March, and then April. It had a 10-game regular season that was to begin in April and finish in late June that would be followed by a four team playoff.
NFL teams are permitted to open preseason training camp for rookies and first-year players seven days prior to the club's earliest permissible mandatory reporting date for veterans. The veterans cannot report earlier than 15 days prior to the team's first scheduled preseason date or July 15, whichever is later. The first full week of NFL preseason games begins Aug. 13.
From the beginning, MLFB appeared to be dealing with substantial debt, according to filings it made with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. But league officials said those filings did not reflect the true stature of the league, which they said is financially solid.
"I think everybody was shocked. A lot of guys were counting on this opportunity. I know I was," said quarterback Stephen Garcia, the franchise player for the Florida team. "But I am an optimistic person, and I am optimistic about 2017. Things happen, and you have to move on."
The 27 year-old from Tampa, who played under Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, said he plans to continue operating his quarterback training camp and hopes something might happen with the NFL.
"I am staying in shape and trying to give back to the kids. I am not throwing anything out the window," said Garcia, who is the third-ranked career passer at the University of South Carolina.
Alan Dell, Herald sports writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter @ADellSports.
This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 11:22 PM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch-based Major League Football announces it won't play games until 2017 ."