NFL to Partner With XFL on Football Research, Data Sharing

(Bloomberg) -- The XFL will link up with the National Football League on programs involving fitness, health and safety, equipment development, playing surfaces and data sharing as the league prepares to relaunch under new ownership next year.

The partnership set to be announced Monday is a sign that the XFL’s owners will work with the NFL, rather than pit itself against it. Under previous management, the XFL failed twice as it tried to compete head-on with the top football league.

“I don't think we view them as a competitor,” Dany Garcia, co-owner and chairwoman of the league, said in an interview. “It starts a different journey for the XFL.”

The XFL’s original iteration was brought to life in 2001 by World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.’s Vince McMahon and only lasted one season, designed to be a more violent game than its mainstream counterpart. Revived nearly two decades later with a focus on faster play, the rebooted version went five weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic forced operations to shut down and sent the league into bankruptcy.

Garcia, actor Dwayne Johnson and investment firm RedBird Capital Partners bought the assets of the XFL’s parent company Alpha Entertainment LLC for $15 million in 2020 and set their sights on one more comeback. The league plans to resume play in the spring of 2023.

The XFL also held discussions with the Canadian Football League last year, but talks ended short of any formal arrangements. Russ Brandon, the former president of the Buffalo Bills who now runs the XFL’s league and football operations, said meetings with the NFL have been ongoing for several months and their executives now have a consistent dialogue. XFL management is working largely with NFL Executive Vice President Troy Vincent and his football operations team.

“We are hopeful that this relationship will support further development and improvements in the game of football at all levels,” Vincent said in a statement.

Garcia said that she and Johnson have had long-term connections with the NFL that led into this pairing. Johnson, a former professional wrestler, even played a role at the NFL’s Super Bowl in Los Angeles earlier this month, grabbing a mic on the field to hype up viewers prior to kickoff. 

Long-term plans also include potential collaborations on international scouting and officiating projects. That could include testing of new on-field rules regarding both game flow and player safety – far from the days of the original XFL and its potentially dangerous guidelines. Plus they’re looking to test new officiating technology to help referees make calls.

“Ownership changes everything,” said Garcia. “We are the owners now. We do things slightly differently. We will take advantage and utilize all relationships for the advancement of the game.”

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