There’s more chaos surrounding the Alliance of American Football, and this time it takes place down in Florida.
The Orlando Apollos apparently can’t even practice in the state of Florida because of workers compensation laws. So, they’re headed to Georgia to find a gridiron to play on.
The Orlando Sentinel reported the following on the team’s decision to practice north of the Florida border:
AAF officials say the reason this is even an issue is because Florida, unlike many other states, will not cover professional athletes under its workers compensation laws. In Florida, professional athletes are not categorized as employees, which means state law prevents pro athletes from filing workers comp claims for injuries incurred while on the job.
According to AAF officials, other more established professional leagues who have teams in the state — such as the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball — have all managed to find insurance companies that will insure their entire leagues. The AAF, because it is start-up league in the perilously dangerous sport of football, has been unable to locate a company that will insure all eight teams in the league
The AAF is seriously starting to become just as entertaining off of the field as the actual games are. First, we had problems with cash flow and payroll; then, the league then needed a ton of investment from Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon; now, the Apollos can’t even practice in their home state over laws and insurance issues. (RELATED: AAF Sells To Tom Dundon After $250 Million Investment, League Is Reportedly Struggling For Money)
The Alliance of American Football has become a content goldmine that I could never have dreamed of. It has been everything I hoped for, and much more.
We’ve got all the plays on the field, and it’s nonstop drama off the field.
….how?
This may be the craziest completion ever. pic.twitter.com/6Ilyd9Sysz
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 18, 2019
As I’ve already said, I hope the AAF is here for the long haul. At first, I just wanted that for selfish reasons in order to have more football.
Now, I want the AAF to never go away because it’s just so damn funny.
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I hope Steve Spurrier and company get it figured out soon. I can’t imagine the players are too pumped about being driven over the border every day for practice. That’s going to get old very quickly.