Not even one season into its existence, the AAF is reportedly going to suspend operations. And Steve Spurrier is not happy.
Naturally, the coach of the Orlando Apollos wanted to play out the rest of the season. But he also felt that he (and others) were mislead.
“Everybody wanted to play out the season and everybody is disappointed,” Spurrier said, per Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. “Everyone was led to believe that the Alliance was well funded and we could play three years without making and money and this, that and the other. Obviously, everything that was said was not very truthful.”
He added that when new league owner Tom Dundon took over “we thought we had financial backing and we’d be able to at least play out the season. … We never thought it would end like this.”
For Spurrier, this is unfortunately a familiar position. He was the first (and only) coach of the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits. But while there are some definite similarities, there is one key difference. The USFL at least got three seasons of operation in.
It has to be disappointing for not only Spurrier, but everyone associated with the league. If what he’s said is accurate, he was clearly mislead. Going from being set up to operate for three years without making money to ceasing operations less than one year in is quite a change.