Last month, XFL co-owner Dany Garcia started teasing the internet with upcoming XFL news on social media. The last time we saw this, we learned that the CFL and XFL would be looking at possibilities to form a partnership.
When we originally reported her last post, we expected that this was a sign that there was going to be news coming in the near future. Since then, we’ve learned that the USFL is set to return next year on FOX. Which, if you weren’t aware, was one of the XFL’s broadcast partners in 2020.
This also adds an extra layer of complexity with a new competitor in the mix.
Well, it looks like Dany Garcia is back to hype some news, and it seems like she may be dropping a few breadcrumbs for us to follow.
At first, this may seem like an innocent post just trying to keep people engaged in the upcoming return of the XFL. But, upon further inspection, it seems that there may be something more to this post.
After doing some CSI work, and zooming in a bit, we get to the real meat and potatoes. First, the document that is being shared is labeled “NewCo Content Plan & Deliverables (Final). Interestingly enough, NewCo is a term for a corporate spin-offs. Which seems to align with the rumors that the CFL and XFL are possible moving towards forming a parent company.
As fans have been getting more angsty online about what the league was planning, we’ve been saying that they’ve been working hard in the background. This seems to solidify that, and that the reason we haven’t heard anything (yet) is due to NDA’s.
Now, here’s where the real fun starts. The person sharing the document is Jay Rothman. Doing a little research shows that Jay Rothman was VP of Production for ESPN from 2011-2010. Additionally, it shows that he started a new role at JR Media starting in February of this year. We’ve since confirmed that this is indeed the same person and he has joined the XFL in a consulting role.
With one broadcast partner seemingly out of the picture, it never hurts to have someone close to another on your side.
Now that we’ve seen another tease from Dany Garcia, we expect to see more. Ultimately leading up to some major news on the future of the XFL. If you’ve been worried that news has been slow, be happy that things are still moving in the background.
Earlier this week Garcia was quoted as saying “we are months away from hitting the field”. Optimists think that this could mean a 2022 return. Others have taken a much more pessimistic take and have said it’s impossible for the league to make a 2022 comeback.
We don’t know when the news is going to drop, but we have some theories. I expect to see some news around the CFL kickoff, which at the moment is set for August 5th. Keep in mind that Dany Garcia, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and RedBird Capital purchased the league August 3rd last year. In my opinion, that seems like a great day to drop some XFL news.
We’ll keep you posted as more news develops on the XFL return.
When do you think we’ll hear more XFL news? What do you think the news will be? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
