The Rock (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
The United Football League heads into its second season since being created by a merger between the USFL and XFL.
Things are not going well.
The 24 quarterbacks of the League are no longer showing up to work. Sports Business Journal reported that the signal callers decided not to attend a QBs-only training camp this weekend as they seek better salaries and benefits.
The UFL is a month away from its second season, which is a huge deal since so many startup leagues quickly folded trying to do what they are doing right now.
The biggest moment of the second iterations of the XFL and USFL last year was 1.6 million viewers tuning in to watch the championship game between the Birmingham Stallions and San Antonio Brahmas on Fox.
Now, the United Football League’s gains can be wiped out over labor issues.
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The UFL and the league’s players association are currently embroiled in a contract dispute that started in December after the league’s most recent proposal only called for pay bumps from last year’s base salary of $55,000.
What is Dwayne’ The Rock’ Johnson Going To Do With The United Football League Season Around The Corner?
With the 2025 UFL season right around the corner, the league is having major issues with all of its quarterbacks.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is a part owner of the UFL, stated last year that the league will begin its second season on March 28, 2025.
As of right now, it’s looking like it might be pushed back.
That’s not a ton of time to prepare for the season, and this week came with all 24 quarterbacks in the UFL holding out of a scheduled QB minicamp amid tense contract negotiations with the league.
The players recently formed a union and are now fighting for an increase in pay from the $55,000 salary for 2024 and additional health care coverage.
“The United Football League continues to negotiate in good faith with the players union to finalize a Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will be beneficial to both the players and the league,” the UFL said in a statement Friday.
It remains to be seen what Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson does in the next month.
REPORT: The U.S. Army Is Asking Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson & The UFL To Give Them Back Their $6 Million Dollars
The Rock (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The United States Army is looking for a refund cheque from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the UFL after giving him millions in the hopes of ramping up enrollment and getting zilch.
The former WWE star turned actor and football league owner was one of the investors who made a $15 million grab at the XFL’s rights after its second debut failed in 2020. The league came back for a third time, kicking off again in 2023. It has since merged with the USFL to become the UFL, so it’s actually had a fourth debut in 2024.
While it managed a decent 812,000 viewers during the regular season, the UFL can’t claim to be a top American league just yet, although it has attracted sponsors with deep pockets, including Uncle Sam.
The league predicted it would generate about $100 million in revenue this past season, but there’s been no update, so we can’t be sure they reached that goal. But the U.S. Army did contribute $11 million to the cause.
The Rock Did Not Live Up To His End Of The Deal With The Military, According To A Certain Report
According to a report from Military.com, the Army is now keen on getting $6 million back after reviewing data showing that recruitment was disastrous.
The outlet adds that the Army was hoping the league would help with enrollment, with The Rock agreeing to serve as an ambassador and use his social media following to encourage Americans to join.
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Internal documents note that the Army expected the former wrestler to share five posts, worth $1 million per, but he only shared two. You can see them below:
Analysis has also revealed that the partnership with The Rock and the UFL failed to land them a single recruit and that they lost out on the chance to enlist 38 of them because they used cash that could have been spent elsewhere.
Johnson has not responded to the claims, nor has the UFL, but a spokesperson for the Army claimed that he still remains “a good partner” and that they are “working with the UFL to rebalance the contract.”
