Johnny Manziel to Work out for AAF Teams After CFL Release
One day after being released by the Montreal Alouettes, Johnny Manziel is being pursued for a workout by the Alliance of American Football.
Per USA Today's Kevin Allen and Tom Schad, AAF chairman Tom Dundon said the league has been in contact with Manziel's camp about potentially working out for teams.
"Right now, it's a decision of the GMs, and they can decide what they want to do," Dundon said. "If talent-wise this is close, the negative of him is that there is drama with him and you are trying to win games and build a team. The positive is that he brings in fans and attention."
The Alouettes announced Wednesday Manziel was being released after "it was found he had contravened the agreement" with the CFL that made him eligible to play.
After news of Manziel's release broke, the former Heisman Trophy winner tweeted his thanks to the Montreal organization and said he was looking "forward to exploring new options within the United States."
Dundon noted Manziel hasn't indicated he will take a workout with the league, but in the event he is offered a contract from the AAF, it would be the same three-year, $250,000 deal every player in the league receives.
Three weeks into its inaugural season, the AAF has already experienced financial difficulties. The Athletic's David Glenn reported Dundon, who also owns the Carolina Hurricanes, made a $250 million investment in the league to take over as chairman and help make payroll.
Manziel appeared in eight games for Montreal during the 2018 season. He had five touchdowns, seven interceptions and 1,290 passing yards.
It was Manziel's first game action since he was released by the Cleveland Browns in March 2016. The 26-year-old was charged with assault against his ex-girlfriend but it was later dismissed in November 2017.
San Diego Fleet at Memphis Express: AAF Game Preview, Live Stream
While the San Diego Fleet try to win their third in a row, the Memphis Express are still looking for the first win in franchise history.
As the inaugural season of the Alliance of American Football continues, San Diego hopes to break out of a tie for first in the Western Conference with the Arizona Hotshots.
In the Eastern Conference, Memphis is one of two 0-3 teams, with the Express tied with the Atlanta Legends.
How to watch the San Diego Fleet-Memphis Express Game
Fans can watch one game a week on B/R Live. This week, it's the San Diego-Memphis 4 p.m. ET Saturday, March 2 game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
Here's the full B/R Live live-stream schedule for AAF games (all times ET):
San Diego Fleet at Memphis Express | 4 p.m. Saturday, March 2 | Watch
Orlando Apollos at Birmingham Iron | 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9 | Watch
Memphis Express at Salt Lake Stallions | 4 p.m. Saturday, March 16 | Watch
Orlando Apollos at Atlanta Legends | 3 p.m. Saturday, March 23 | Watch
Orlando Apollos at Memphis Express | 2 p.m. Saturday, March 30 | Watch
Memphis Express at San Antonio Commanders | 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6 | Watch
San Antonio Commanders at Salt Lake Stallions | 8 p.m. Saturday, April 13 | Watch
Find the full TV schedule here.
San Diego Fleet-Memphis Express preview
As the middle of the season nears in the AAF, San Diego is second in the league in points allowed, surrendering 12.7 points per game.
Offensively, San Diego QB Philip Nelson has 403 passing yards, ranking sixth in the league. However, instead of the passing game, the Fleet rely on a strong ground attack.
RB Ja'Quan Gardner is first in the AAF with 281 rushing yards on only 35 attempts—averaging 8.03 yards per attempt. His numbers dwarf his leading competitors, as Memphis' Zac Stacy is second in the league with 188 yards, and Stacy has 10 more rushing attempts this season.
Memphis is 0-3 this season, but the Express will have a different look in Week 4. QB Christian Hackenberg, a former second-round NFL draft pick, has lost his starting job to Zach Mettenberger. Hackenberg was only 32-for-62 passing for 277 yards and three interceptions without throwing a touchdown pass.
If San Diego can keep the Express winless, it would put pressure on the Arizona Hotshots to keep pace. The Fleet and the Hotshots are 3-1 going into Week 4 action. Arizona doesn't play this week until Sunday when it hosts the 0-3 Atlanta Legends.
Last week, San Diego avenged a Week 1 loss to the San Antonio Commanders by beating them 31-11, making up for a nine-point defeat in the franchise's first game.
Memphis came close to winning yet again last week, dropping to the Orlando Apollos 21-17. The Express lost to the Arizona Hotshots by only two points the week prior.
Man Sues AAF Alleging He Came Up with League; Says Co-Founder Wanted XFL Name
The Alliance of American Football is only three weeks into its inaugural season but is reportedly already facing a lawsuit.
According to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, Robert Vanech, who is the CFO of Trebel Music, filed a suit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging he came up with the idea for the league. Vanech alleged AAF co-founder Charlie Ebersol had a "handshake agreement" with him that was violated.
As a result, he is seeking 50 percent ownership in the league, financial damages and "public acknowledgment of his co-founding role."
Vanech’s lawsuit also states Ebersol attempted but failed to garner licensing from the WWE and NBC that would have allowed the league to use the XFL name.
The lawsuit provides details about a 2017 meeting Ebersol and his father, television executive Dick Ebersol, had with WWE CEO Vince McMahon in which they attempted to reach a deal regarding the XFL name. There was no deal reached, and McMahon is scheduled to debut a new XFL in 2020.
Vanech’s lawsuit says he approached the younger Ebersol about the league in February 2017, although Ebersol said he was the one who came up with the idea while working on an XFL documentary. Ebersol also said he and co-founder Bill Polian, who is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, then spent months coming up with plans for the league.
"Mr. Vanech's claim is without merit," the AAF said in a statement, per Rothstein. "There was never any agreement, oral or written, between Mr. Vanech and Mr. Ebersol relating to the Alliance. We remained solely focused on our historic, inaugural season when each weekend over 400 players get an opportunity to showcase their talents and fulfill their dreams of playing professional football."
This comes after Daniel Kaplan of the Sports Business Journal reported the $250 million new AAF chair and Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon put into the league is actually only "committed" and not fully invested.
Sources told Kaplan that Dundon has the right to stop funding the league at any time since the deal is on a week-to-week basis.
Christian Hackenberg Benched for Zach Mettenberger After AAF Express' 0-3 Start
It wasn't long ago Christian Hackenberg was a New York Jets quarterback with a bright future after the AFC East team picked him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, but he has now been benched in the Alliance of American Football.
According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, Memphis Express head coach Mike Singletary announced former LSU signal-caller Zach Mettenberger will start Saturday’s contest against the San Diego Fleet.
Cimini noted Hackenberg lost all three games he started and had zero touchdown passes and three interceptions.
While Hackenberg made a name for himself while playing at Penn State, he never played a regular-season down at the NFL level and has struggled in the AAF. Singletary had already taken him out at halftime of Saturday's loss to the Orlando Apollos.
Mettenberger threw for 120 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the second half and demonstrated much more consistency than Hackenberg.
"The lift Zach gave the team last week, it was a great feeling," Singletary said, per Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "To see a young man go out and make plays and really change the momentum in the game. We just have to put a whole game together."
Mettenberger played 14 games for the Tennessee Titans in 2014 and 2015, completing 60.3 percent of his passes for 2,347 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 picks.
Trent Richardson Is Popping off in the AAF
Trent Richardson is making his return to football with the Birmingham Iron of the AAF. The running back is making a splash and leading the new league with six rushing touchdowns. Watch the video above for more about Richardson's career redemption.
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Alliance of American Football 2019 Results: Week 3 Scores from Sunday
The third week of the 2019 Alliance of American Football season is officially in the books.
The Birmingham Iron opened Sunday with a comfortable win over the Atlanta Legends, while the San Diego Fleet handed the San Antonio Commanders their second straight defeat.
Sunday represented a stark contrast from the previous day, when 12 combined points were the difference in Saturday's two games.
Week 3 Results—Feb. 24
Birmingham Iron (3-0) def. Atlanta Legends (0-3), 28-12
San Diego Fleet (2-1) def. San Antonio Commanders (1-2), 31-11
Birmingham Iron 28, Atlanta Legends 12
Birmingham pulled away from Atlanta in the second half on the strength of an 11-point third quarter.
Although he threw for 328 yards, Legends quarterback Matt Simms had a day to forget. His three interceptions proved costly as Atlanta's offense struggled to find a groove. The Legends ran for 43 yards as a team, with Simms responsible for 27 of those.
Atlanta's inability to establish the run differed slightly from Birmingham. Trent Richardson led the Iron with 46 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, and Ladarius Perkins chipped in with 26 yards on the ground.
Richardson's first score came on a five-yard run with 2:39 left in the second quarter to put Birmingham ahead 9-3.
Richardson punched it in again from one yard out in the final seconds of the third quarter to make it an 18-6 game.
Having settled for a pair of field goals in the second quarter, Atlanta got its first touchdown in the fourth quarter. It came too late to make any real impact on the game, though. Simms hit Montay Crockett for a 23-yard touchdown with 1:41 left in regulation, but the Legends failed on their two-point conversion.
Seantavius Jones kept the comeback attempt alive when he made a juggling catch on Atlanta's onside attempt, which requires the offensive team to convert on 4th-and-12.
Simms threw an interception on the Legends' next play, which erased any doubt about the outcome.
The Legends will hope to get their first win in Week 4 when they play the Arizona Hotshots. The Iron, on the other hand, will put their perfect record on the line against the Commanders.
San Diego Fleet 31, San Antonio Commanders 11
Ja'Quan Gardner played a starring role as the Fleet suffocated the Commanders with their running game en route to a win.
Gardner only carried the ball 12 times but gained 122 yards and found the end zone on one occasion. He showed off his speed in the third quarter when he found a hole up the middle and exploded through the San Antonio defense for an 83-yard scamper.
That's the longest play in AAF history to date. NBC San Diego's Fernando Ramirez shared Gardner's reaction upon hearing that fact:
The Commanders ultimately came out on the losing end, but they couldn't have envisaged a better start to the game.
De'Vante Bausby intercepted a Philip Nelson pass on the first play from scrimmage. On the very next play, Logan Woodside connected with Mekale McKay for a 47-yard touchdown.
The offense quickly dried up for the Commanders, who finished with 291 yards but had two costly turnovers. San Diego took a 12-8 lead at the 10:56 mark of the second quarter on an A.J. Tarpley pick-six.
San Antonio's defense didn't have an answer for the Fleet offense, either. After his interception, Nelson settled down and went 17-of-25 for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Terrell Watson also gave San Diego a dynamic threat on the ground, going for 73 yards on 13 carries.
The Fleet will play the 0-3 Memphis on Saturday.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics courtesy of the league's official site.
Video: Dog Catches 83-Yard Frisbee Toss at AAF's Orlando Apollos Halftime Show
Hollywood is rebooting everything else. Why not bring back Air Bud?
The casting director would already have its star.
During halftime of the Orlando Apollos' 21-17 victory over the Memphis Express on Saturday in the Alliance of American Football, a dog ran 83 yards before snatching a frisbee out of the air. The Orlando Sentinel's J.C. Carnahan shared a video of the spectacle:
Of course, a receiver is often only as good as his quarterback. The frisbee-thrower deserves some credit for putting the disc right on the money.
The public address announcer said the 83-yard heave was a record. Regardless of whether that's true, it was three yards farther than the longest completion for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins or Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2018 season.
AAF Team Orlando Apollos Announce Steve Spurrier Cruise to the Bahamas
Those who have always wanted to play glow-in-the-dark laser tag while sailing on the high seas with the Orlando Apollos coaching staff finally have the opportunity to do just that.
As Jon Alba of Spectrum Sports 360 noted, the Apollos of the Alliance of American Football announced the inaugural "Steve Spurrier Cruise." Spurrier and the rest of his coaching staff will be aboard the boat.
The cruise's website provides details, revealing the cruise from July 12 to 15 will feature "exclusive events include Q&A sessions, welcome receptions with the coaches, private excursions, dining with fellow fans and coaches, beach olympics, photo and autograph sessions and plenty of time to schmooze with the Apollos coaches."
Spurrier's cruise leaves from Port Canaveral, Florida, and goes to Nassau, Bahamas, and Coco Cay, Bahamas, which is Royal Caribbean's private island. It will be aboard Royal Caribbean's msMariner of the Seas, which has activities such as the glow-in-the-dark laser tag, a bungee trampoline experience, a surf simulator and waterslides.
No word on whether Spurrier will take time away from designing plays to enjoy the waterslides and buffet on the lido deck.
Alliance of American Football 2019 Results: Week 3 Scores from Saturday
The Saturday slate of Alliance of American Football began at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City as the winless Stallions hosted the undefeated Arizona Hotshots.
The Stallions didn't end the day winless, though, as they notched their first win of the season in their home opener by a score of 23-15.
This Week 3 meeting was a slow burn compared to these two's first game in Week 1, which Arizona won 38-22 at home. Part of that had to do with the third-quarter exit of Hotshots quarterback John Wolford, who entered Week 3 leading the AAF in touchdown passes, leaving Trevor Knight to finish under center.
Saturday night saw Steve Spurrier's Orlando Apollos improve to 3-0 against a struggling 0-3 Memphis Express squad. Express quarterback Christian Hackenberg continued an uninspired bout in the AAF—starting early with an interception on Memphis' opening possession.
Here's a look at Week 3 results, recaps and highlights.
Week 3 Results—Feb. 23
Salt Lake City Stallions (1-2) 23, Arizona Hotshots (2-1) 15
Orlando Apollos (3-0) 21, Memphis Express (0-3) 17
Salt Lake City Stallions 23, Arizona Hotshots 15
Coming into this game, the circled matchup featured Hotshots quarterback John Wolford and Stallions defensive end Karter Schult, who leads the league in sacks with four (one coming in this game).
Wolford was under constant pressure throughout the first half. At one point in the second quarter, Wolford's mic picked up the quarterback lamenting how often he was getting hit on the broadcast.
The first quarter ended with the Stallions up 3-0 thanks to this 54-yard field goal from Taylor Bertolet:
The game's first touchdown came with 11:40 remaining in the second quarter when Stallions quarterback Josh Woodrum connected with receiver De'Mornay Pierson-El for 25 yards. Salt Lake held a 9-0 lead.
Midway through the second quarter, Hotshots kicker Nick Folk redeemed himself for an earlier miss by making a 48-yard attempt. With seconds remaining in the half, the Hotshots finally found the end zone on a short pass from Wolford to receiver Rashad Ross—his fourth of the season:
Arizona went into the locker room tied 9-9—after an overturned two-point attempt—despite a lack of offensive production for the majority of the first half.
The Hotshots' fortunes took a turn on the first play of the third quarter when Wolford was intercepted by Greer Martini for the Stallions' first pick of the season. Seconds later, running back Branden Oliver punched it in from one yard out—putting the Stallions up 15-9.
The fourth quarter began with the Stallions leading 15-12. The score stayed that way until midway through the final quarter when Salt Lake went for it on 4th-and-goal. Joel Bouagnon carried the ball toward the goal line, and the ruling on the field was not a touchdown, but after a Salt Lake challenge, the call was overturned.
A successful two-point conversion gave the Stallions a 23-12 lead, the largest of this game and the season for the team. Knight tried to bring the Hotshots back, but a field goal from Folk proved too little too late.
After missing Week 2 with a hamstring injury, it was surprisingly Woodrum who demanded attention at the quarterback position in this game. Ultimately, Arizona couldn't overcome its slow start or the loss of Wolford.
Orlando Apollos 21, Memphis Express 17
Orlando's offense wasted no time, which is to be expected from an offense leading the AAF coming into this week by averaging 38.5 points per game. The Apollos' first touchdown came on a four-yard rush by D'Ernest Johnson within two minutes of the game's start.
The Express did not enjoy the same hot start, as Hackenberg was picked by Keith Reiser on his team's first possession.
The Express offense was sparked slightly by a conversion on 3rd-and-13 with 2:45 left in the first quarter. However, that drive ended with a missed 41-yard field goal by Josh Jasper.
The first half expired with Orlando up 9-0 with neither team scoring in the second quarter.
The Express' halftime adjustments including putting Zach Mettenberger in at quarterback for the struggling Hackenberg. Within five minutes, Mettenberger struck gold with a 28-yard touchdown pass to receiver Devin Lucien—the first touchdown pass in franchise history.
Memphis' momentum was short-lived, as Apollos quarterback Garrett Gilbert found receiver Rannell Hall as he was being forced out of bounds down the right sideline for a 37-yard touchdown on 4th-and-8, putting Orlando up 15-6 with 6:40 left in the third.
Gilbert took matters into his own hands with 9:08 left in the fourth quarter with a 28-yard touchdown run on an option play that totally fooled the Memphis defense:
Just when viewers may have thought Memphis was done for, the Express embarked on an inspiring drive capped by a 40-yard Mettenberger touchdown pass to Gerrard Sheppard with 5:32 left in the game. After a successful two-point conversion, Orlando's lead was cut to 21-17.
However, the Apollos offense didn't allow Memphis to get the ball back—running out the clock and securing their third win in three games.