Sports Illustrated’s Dan Greene wrote an in-depth feature on XFL Commissioner and CEO Oliver Luck. Many topics of the XFL are covered, and it is worth a read for any XFL fan.
Luck has stated in the past that quarterbacks are the top dogs in the XFL. That quarterback play is critical to the success of the league. The names of Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick and Johnny Manziel came up. Here is what Luck had to say about each.
Luck On Tim Tebow
Luck and Tebow and a chance run-in at the Clemson-Alabama national title game back in January. Luck said he informally gauged the 31-year-old’s interest in playing football again, but Tebow reaffirmed his commitment to playing baseball.
Tim Tebow is currently with the New York Mets as a left fielder for its Triple-A team in Syracuse. As of this writing, he has a slash line of .131/.198/.179, 0 home runs, 9 RBI and 34 strikeouts. Not a good sign for a 31-year-old trying to make it to the majors. He batted .273 with 6 home runs, 36 RBI and 103 strikeouts in 2018 for the Mets Double-A team.
Luck On Colin Kaepernick
Former 49er’s QB Colin Kaepernick was on Luck’s list of possible XFL quarterbacks. He reached out to Kaepernick’s agent and was told the QB wanted $20 million to play in the XFL. “That’s a little bit out of our range,” Luck said.
Luck On Johnny Manziel
Luck previously said he was unsure whether the XFL would welcome Johnny Manziel, but it was more of a coaches decision than anything else. Manziel recently played two games for the AAF’s Memphis Express before the league folded. Given his off the field problems and unknown drama as to why he was kicked out the CFL. Luck told Sports Illustrated he has “softened McMahon’s original hard-line stance” when it comes to off the field issues. The policy now excludes any player for credible accusations of felonies and domestic violence.
Can the XFL thrive without one of these big names? Does the league need big name players to gain a fan base? Leave a comment below.
