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After a rocky start to an attempted reboot, the United Football League has notified coaches and players that the remainder of the 2012 season has been postponed. The disclosure was initially made by NFL player agent David Canter, who represents three players in the UFL.
UFL has notified all players and coaches their season is over and remaining games are canceled
— David Canter (@davidcanter) October 20, 2012
Canter adds that the players will be paid in full for the games they have played and that the league will cover the costs of return flights home, skeptically adding the hash tag "I won't hold my breath". Canter was vocal in his criticism of the league last month after the players had not been paid in a timely manner for Week 1.
According to UFL Director of Communications Larry Weisman, the UFL plans to resume the season in the spring and return for a season in the fall of 2013. The spring has always been a part of the calendar that makes more sense for a developmental league as they would not be competing with college football and the National Football League, both of whom have increased their presence with games scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights in addition to the traditional Saturday/Sunday slate of games.
"It's a shame," Las Vegas Locos head coach Jim Fassel told Peter King of Sports Illustrated. "We're 4-0, and I got guys who would have played for me with the (New York) Giants."
A developmental league would benefit both players — such as Brian Banks — and the National Football League. With the UFL continuing to struggle, perhaps this latest shutdown will open the door for the NFL to fund and operate its own developmental league, where teams would allocate players to fill rosters instead of having them attempt to turn heads in what have become scaled-down OTAs and offseason programs in the new collective bargaining agreement.
