The NFL on Thursday "notified its 32 teams of a spring development league that will operate" in April and will "work with NFL veterans who do not have contracts," according to John Clayton of ESPN.com. The Spring League will be run by "independent investors with no connection to the NFL." There will be "four teams consisting of veteran free-agent players and experienced NFL coaches." The teams will train at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia from April 5-26, and a "total of six games will be played in the league." The NFL continues to discuss the "potential for its own development league," though "no decisions are expected before February at the earliest" (ESPN.com, 12/22). CBSSPORTS.com's Jared Dubin noted unlike the reported free-agent league, the NFL's "proposed league would have the purpose of developing younger players, coaches and referees" (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/22). In Toronto, Scott Mitchell notes the Spring League already has a website and the sign-up page "indicates it’ll cost prospective players $350 to try out for a spot in the four-team circuit, with housing and a daily per diem paid to those who make the cut" (TORONTO SUN, 12/23).
