TAMPA, Fla. — As soon as the NBA put their season on hold, professional leagues around the world started following suit. That included the XFL which decided to cancel the remainder of its inaugural season.
“A little upset but not completely shocked and not too upset for the fact that I appreciate them looking out for our best interest as players and as humans,” Aaron Murray said.
The Tampa Bay Vipers quarterback has been through this song and dance before when the Alliance of American Football (AAF) caved in the middle of the season last year.
“The teams in this league (XFL) were in cities that have been hit hard: Seattle, Los Angeles and New York," Murray said. "I think the decision was certainly smart for the league.”
These are clearly incredibly different circumstances and there’s a definitive difference with the XFL. There are concrete plans in place for the league to continue next year.
“The good news is that it’s not over," Murray said. "This season is over, but the 2021 season is already in the works and getting planned out when it comes to the schedule and the practices.”
A big sigh of relief came when the XFL announced it could honor the coaches' and players' existing contracts - at least for the season.
“It’s very nice. It’s a little bit of a paid vacation for guys right now. The biggest difference in the AAF last year was as soon as it got cut, they went into bankruptcy so there was no getting the money," Murray said. "They’re honestly still dealing with that whole process right now.”
For all of these athletes in quarantine, they’re having to get creative when it comes to working out and living their daily lives.
“It’s a lot of walking and running outside. You should definitely go outside but keep the social distancing," he said. "My wife and I will take the dogs on a walk and go running. I went and bought an Xbox the other day and it’s been about 10 years since I played video games. The fact that that is a part of my routine right now is pretty weird.”
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