Adam Schefter has stepped down from his role as a member of the advisory board for the new Pacific Pro Football league. In a statement emailed to THE DAILY Friday morning, ESPN said, “After reflecting more, Adam decided he will not be involved in the Pacific Pro League. While his role was minimal in nature and unpaid, he determined that this was the appropriate outcome.” The net earlier this week described Schefter’s role as unpaid and ceremonial, adding that it was not violating company policy to have an NFL reporter on the board of a pro football league. Fox NFL analyst Mike Pereira also is on the league’s advisory board; Fox Sports would not offer a comment on its policy of allowing its on-air talent to be on the league’s board. Other board members include former NFL coach Mike Shanahan, former NFL exec Jim Steeg and MSNBC commentator Steve Schmidt (John Ourand, Staff Writer).
LIVING TOGETHER: THE MMQB’s Emily Kaplan wrote Pac Pro Football, which is being spearheaded by longtime NFL agent Don Yee, will be “an intriguing complement” to the NFL. A high-ranking NFL exec said, “I’d still like to see a more traditional D-league, but if this actually comes through, those two entities can co-exist. Yee’s league seems like a promising concept. It addresses a few areas of concern we’ve been seeing [regarding] the gap between college and our game.” Kaplan wrote while the NFL is “unlikely to officially sanction Yee’s league, it might not denounce it either.” Sources said that NFL teams would have “no problem drafting players from this league as long as they were talented.” While the concept “is strong, the biggest hurdle is sustainability.” Kaplan: “Does the league have enough money to not only survive, but thrive?” (MMQB.SI.com, 1/19).
