Defunct AAF Chairman Argues Lack of Personal Jurisdiction in Contract Breach Lawsuit

Thomas Dundon, the former chairman of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction on July 1, 2019 in a California Federal Court. The initial claim alleges that Dundon, who is the now-defunct league’s primary financial backer, “tanked” the AAF mid-season despite committing to fund the league throughout the year, according to Law360.

Rule 12(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure asserts that “[e]very defense to a claim for relief in any pleading must be …

April 16, 2019 NFL

Series on the Alliance of American Football: The Fall of the AAF

This is the second part of a two-part series chronicling the rise and fall of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). In the first part, we delved into the unprecedented growth of the AAF, much of which was based on an unsustainable dream to bring a successful professional football league to the United States. In this part, we analyze the ultimate collapse of the AAF, a reality of insurmountable debts and a lack of supporting investors.

The Failed Hail Mary

On April 2, 2019, …

April 10, 2019 Uncategorized

Series on the Alliance of American Football: The Rise of the AAF

As a filmmaker and the son of legendary NBC television executive Dick Ebersol, Charlie Ebersol was motivated to create the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in late 2016 after producing the documentary This Was the XFL for ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series. The Xtreme Football League (XFL) was the 2001 brainchild of Vince McMahon, CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The XFL, which aired on NBC, was designed to be an extreme version of spring professional football, but it was canceled after only one …