Any hope for a potential comeback for the San Antonio Commanders and the Alliance of American Football appears to be gone.
On April 2, the AAF suspended football operations with two weeks left in the regular season. Amid financial difficulties, the league left hundreds of players and employees with no advance notice of the sudden end. Those financial difficulties were felt in San Antonio, where the league held a training camp in January. Several venues said they were not paid by the league for use of their facilities.
On Wednesday, Front Office Sports released bankruptcy filings from the league.
According to the documents, six entities say the league owes them more than $1 million.
The filings also show some of the hotel bills, including one for the Embassy Suites San Antonio Landmark, which the league allegedly owes $439,838.52.
The Alliance of American Football released the following statement about the bankruptcy filing:
“We are deeply disappointed to be taking this action. The AAF was created to be a dynamic, developmental professional football league powered by an unprecedented alliance between players, fans and the game. The AAF strove to create new opportunities for talented players, coaches, executives and officials while providing an exciting experience for fans. We are proud of the fact that our teams and players delivered on that goal.
“We thank our players, coaches and employees for their commitment to the game of football and to this venture. Our fans believed in the AAF from the beginning, and we thank them for their support. We are hopeful that our players, coaches and others will find opportunities to pursue their football dreams in the future.
‘The AAF is committed to ensuring that our bankruptcy proceeds in an efficient and orderly manner. Pursuant to the bankruptcy laws, a trustee will be empowered to resolve all matters related to the AAF’s remaining assets and liabilities, including ongoing matters related to player contracts.”
The eight-team league, co-founded by Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian, began play in February 2019 and was slated to wrap up its inaugural season with a championship game in Frisco, Texas. The league was designed to be a "second chance" or developmental league, rather than a competitor to the NFL. When the AAF encountered early financial trouble, Tom Dundon pledged $250 million in exchange for control of the league. Dundon threatened to pull the plug if the league couldn't work out a deal with the NFL to use practice squad players. He made good on that threat on April 2.
The San Antonio Commanders led the league in attendance and were tied for the league's second-best record through right games. There have been a number of players who have agreed to NFL contracts, but there have been reports that the players' contracts could be sold to the Canadian Football League in a bankruptcy deal.