The Pacific Pro Football League will launch next summer as a start-up football league that "plans to function as an alternate path to the NFL," offering young prospects a "paid option to pursue their development," according to Ryan Kartje of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. The league plans to "follow NFL rules, with practices wide open to NFL scouts and adhering to NFL rules, all catered" toward NFL evaluation. Pac Pro Founder Don Yee said, "Envision the Senior Bowl over a two-month season." The Pac Pro plans to "pay players an average salary of $50,000 for a two-month season, with room for high-profile players to be offered more." Outside sponsorships and personal branding opportunities will be "strongly encouraged," and Adidas has "already signed on as a league partner." Pac Pro also "plans to offer free community college or vocational program tuition" for interested players. Yee: "Most of these players want to know, 'How can you get me ready for the NFL?' From a football standpoint, what we'll have to demonstrate is that if you come play with us, we'll definitely shorten your learning curve. We'll help you reduce the risk of failing out of the NFL." Yee said that he believes it would "only take one elite player to potentially change the path to the NFL forever" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 4/21).
WINNING COMBINATION: In Austin, Cedric Golden wrote the XFL could "work for several reasons," but it "has to be done right" or Founder Vince McMahon's investment will vanish. McMahon "hired the right man to run the league" in Commissioner & CEO Oliver Luck, who then "brought in great coaches." McMahon and Luck are now "taking some chances with the traditional format" of on-field play (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 4/20).
