By Shawn Stewart
24 quarterbacks of the United Football League decided not to attend a QBs-only training camp this weekend as they seek better salaries and benefits, Sports Business Journal reported Thursday.
The UFL is heading into its second season since being created by a merger between the USFL and XFL. The league and the United Football Players Association have been negotiating a new labor deal since December, per SBJ’s report.
Quarterbacks said in a letter they were insulted by the league’s latest offer that included only a “negligible” increase from last year’s $55,000 base salary. They’re also seeking year-round health insurance.
“The proposal our Players Association received on Thursday was unacceptable and insulting,” they wrote in the letter addressed to UFL president Russ Brandon and executive vice president Daryl Johnston. “We — all of the quarterbacks in the UFL — have collectively decided not to attend the UFL quarterback training camp this weekend in Arlington, Texas, in protest of that proposal and the message that is sent to us as players.”
The quarterbacks’ holdout comes just one month before the regular season begins on March 28. Training camp for all teams begins Monday.
Some of the top UFL quarterbacks returning from last season include Jordan Ta’amu (D.C. Defenders), Luis Perez (Arlington Renegades) and E.J. Perry (Michigan Panthers).
Fox owns a 50 percent stake in the UFL. The other 50 percent is controlled by the XFL Properties LLC headed by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and backed by RedBird Capital Partners.
“The United Football League continues to negotiate in good faith with the players union to finalize a collective bargaining agreement, which will be beneficial both to the players and the league,” the league said in a statement to Sports Business Journal.