Pacific Pro Football, a league developed by NFL agent Don Yee that allows players "to play professionally directly out of high school," will begin play in July '20 with "four teams in Southern California," according to Bernie Wilson of the AP. The league will implement an average salary and benefits "totaling $50,000 for a two-month season." Former NFLer Ed McCaffrey will serve as Commissioner for PPF, while former NFL Network exec Jamie Hemann will be CEO. Yee said that the "widening divergence between styles of play in college and the NFL means some college players aren’t necessarily being trained for the pro game." He added that concerns over the different way the game is played "is shared by some college players and their parents, and that playing at a four-year college isn’t necessarily the best or only path to the NFL." Yee said that he "anticipates that in the first year, most of the league’s players will have already played some college football." He added that there are high school players who are "good enough to play three years" with PPF and then "make the jump to the NFL." Yee said that the league will "negotiate separately with every player depending on perceived market value. He said that he "couldn’t yet identify the league’s investors." Yee said that once a player "becomes eligible to apply for the NFL draft, he will term out" of PPF (AP, 1/7).
CALLING THE SHOTS: Your Call Football will play a second series of games starting next month in Jacksonville. Merrill Hoge and Solomon Wilcots will serve as coaches for the league that allows fans to call plays. YCF last year staged four games at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., with all plays voted on by fans through an app. The same number of games is planned for the Jaguars' practice facility, the Dream Finders Homes Flex Field at Daily’s Place, adjacent to TIAA Bank Field. The four games will take place Feb. 25-March 18. Among the new features for '19 is that fans will be able to compete for a separate set of cash prizes during each quarter of every game. Lagardere will continue to produce and stage the games. YCF is negotiating with Barstool Sports about reprising its role in providing a second stream. YCF President Julie Meringer said a second series of games may be scheduled for later in the year (Daniel Kaplan, THE DAILY).
