Arena Football League Team’s Entire Roster Cut During Pregame Meal

Published: 12^th Mar 12 6:46 pm

by Michael Terrill
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Arena Football League Team’s Entire Roster Cut During Pregame Meal

Arena Football League commissioner Jerry B. Kurz Photo Source: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

The Arena Football League players were set to strike before the kickoff of the 2012 season and with that in mind owners have decided to pull some drastic measures.

Matt Shaner, owner of the Pittsburgh Power, cut his entire 24-man roster before a game against the Orlando Predators. The team was reportedly eating their pregame meal at an Orlando Olive Garden when Shaner took to the podium and shocked the players with his decision. Apparently every player got up and walked out on Shaner while he was in mid-sentence.

The purpose of the AFL Player’s Association going on strike was to get an increase in game checks. Most AFL players currently receive $400 per game while the union is asking for a 300 percent increase. League owners would only go as high as $100 which presented the AFL with a standstill.

Shaner was the first owner to react but will certainly not be the last. Players on the Predators were also released prior to game time which means several replacement players on both sides took to the field. Some Pittsburgh players decided to cross the picket line and were eligible to play, but those who did not were stuck in Orlando and forced to pay their own way home.

According to Deadspin, the NFL Network broadcast the game live and the announcers struggled to figure out who half the players were on the field.

The AFL is not a hugely popular sport but the owners should find a middle ground on salary negotiations. Cutting players before the start of a game is absolutely ridiculous. I am not sure what Shaner is trying to accomplish because attendance is now guaranteed to go down. The only way he will win is if the players give in and accept the already determined game salaries. Replacement players are not going to get the job done and the fans certainly will not enjoy watching their team lose.