Alliance of American Football CEO Charlie Ebersol said skeptics of another spring football venture "should be cynical, because God knows everybody that’s come into this field has gotten trampled down." But Ebersol, appearing on ESPN Radio's "Golic & Wingo," added that as more details become available on The Alliance, "take into account the quality and caliber of the people we're presenting to you and ask yourself, have you ever seen this before?" Ebersol also noted his organization is “not a league” per se, as the idea of a league and union means "separating the players from the game." Ebersol: "We lost the commissioner, we lost the idea of a league and we lost the idea of separating the players out as a process and making them a part of it." Asked about competing with the XFL, Ebersol said, "We're focused on us." Ebersol said bringing on Pro Football HOFer Bill Polian is the "most obvious thing" in terms of creating a quality product on the field. Ebersol said Head of Football Operations J.K. McKay and Head of Player Relations Troy Polamalu are "on equal footing" with Polian. Ebersol: "The beginning of the month, we'll start introducing you to our head coaches and our cities, and there are a lot of national championships and a lot of Super Bowl coaches on our teams" ("Golic & Wingo, ESPN Radio, 3/22).
HAVING A PLAN: ESPN's Katie Nolan said, "What they do have is a plan, like an actual plan, that they could explain to us, that sounds pretty comprehensive, especially when compared to the XFL's plan" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 3/21). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said The Alliance "has some big names behind it." ESPN's Michael Wilbon said having Polian involved "gives the league credibility." Wilbon: "But I don't think this is going to work" ("PTI," ESPN, 3/21).
