The XFL, which was acquired over the summer by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners, says it will not play in 2021 but plans to return in 2022, Deadline.com reported. “It’s an uphill battle,” Johnson wrote in a tweet, “but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us.” The upstart off-season rival to the NFL, a reanimated version of the one created by NBC and wrestling magnate Vince McMahon two decades ago, got a few weeks into its season before COVID-19 struck the U.S. McMahon funneled some $200 million into the effort to revive the league, but it declared bankruptcy in the spring. The new owners picked it up for just $15 million. In addition to the pandemic, which has limited fan attendance at football games and created logistical complications for teams and leagues, emerging from bankruptcy is a tall task for the new owners. Many former coaches and league employees are listed as creditors in the bankruptcy proceedings, presenting challenges in terms of ramping back up quickly. Former commissioner Oliver Luck has filed a $23.8 million wrongful termination lawsuit against McMahon.
