JACKSONVILLE, FL (December 9, 2009) – The United Football League announced today that the interest in UFL players by NFL teams continues to increase as the NFL prepares for post-season action. Since the UFL’s season concluded on November 27th, the following players have been signed to NFL teams’ active roster and/or practice squads:
Date Player UFL Team NFL Team
12/9/09 NT Shaun Smith Las Vegas Locos Cincinnati Bengals, active roster
12/9/09 LB Prince Kwateng California Redwoods New Orleans Saints, practice squad
12/9/09 T Michael Toudouze New York Sentinels Indianapolis Colts, active roster
12/8/09 K Graham Gano Las Vegas Locos Washington Redskins, active roster
12/2/09 DB Michael Grant Florida Tuskers Cleveland Browns, practice squad
12/2/09 QB Shane Boyd* California Redwoods Indianapolis Colts, practice squad
12/2/09 LB Quinton Culberson Florida Tuskers Carolina Panthers, active roster
12/1/09 K Matt Bryant Florida Tuskers Atlanta Falcons, active roster
12/1/09 TE Jake Nordin Las Vegas Locos Detroit Lions, practice squad
11/28/09 QB Tyler Palko* Ca Redwoods; preseason Pittsburgh Steelers, active roster
11/25/09 QB Tyler Palko Ca Redwoods; preseason Pittsburgh Steelers, practice squad
11/25/09 G Christian Gaddis New York Sentinels Buffalo Bills, active roster
11/25/09 FB Charles Ali New York Sentinels Baltimore Ravens, active roster
11/24/09 DB Paul Pratt New York Sentinels Detroit Lions, practice squad?11/24/09 OL Jason Watkins New York Sentinels Buffalo Bills, practice squad
11/18/09 G Christian Gaddis New York Sentinels Buffalo Bills, practice squad
* has since been released
In addition to the players named above, 16 UFL players have been invited to workouts for NFL clubs including:
California Redwoods
DB Robert Herbert
DB Marcus McClinton
LS Nick Sundberg
Florida Tuskers
WR Taye Biddle
OT Mike Butterworth
DE Patrick Chukwurah
T Rob Pettiti
DB DeJuan Tribble
T Seth Wand
Las Vegas Locos
P Danny Baugher
RB DeDe Dorsey
QB JP Losman
T Jeremy Parquet
New York Sentinels
LS Jared Retkofsky
DB Matteral Richardson
DB Darien Williams
About The UFL
The UFL was developed to fulfill the unmet needs of football fans in major markets currently underserved by professional football by providing a high quality traditional football league comprised of world class professional football players. The UFL will serve the communities with pride, dedication and passion, and uphold a leadership role in the development of football worldwide. The UFL will provide every fan with an affordable, accessible, exciting and entertaining game experience. The UFL just completed its “Premiere” season on November 27thwhere the Las Vegas Locos defeated the Florida Tuskers 20-17 in overtime. The UFL’s headquarters is in New York, N.Y. and has satellite offices in Jacksonville, Fla. and Rutherford, N.J. The UFL is led by Commissioner Michael Huyghue, COO Frank Vuono and is being funded by a consortium of private investors. For more information on the UFL, please visit www.ufl-football.com.
This is bad news for the UFL. By allowing the players to leave for the NFL, the UFL has just relegated itself to an eternal feeder league to the NFL. We will not have two Premier leagues like we had with the old AFL, or the USFL. We will have a professional football minor league, like Major League Baseball has now.
By allowing themselves to be classified as a minor league, they will be doomed to small local crowds, local media coverage, and a fanbase that never extends beyond it’s city limits or county.
The TV dollars will eventually dry-up once advertisers realize no body cares beyond these small markets.
The NFL may eventually step in and help the UFL if necessary, because it benefits them to have such a league which will develop talent for the big show, at little to no cost to them.
Who wants to follow a team that loses it’s best talent every year to another league. I don’t. I would rather just wait and see them when they get to the NFL.
I began following the UFL from day one, and was hoping they would succeed as a “rival” league, but I see now they are only a development league to the NFL..watched any NBA D league lately anyone?
PS. I should have read the fine print…..
About The UFL
The UFL was developed to fulfill the unmet needs of football fans in major markets currently underserved by professional football by providing a high quality traditional football league comprised of world class professional football players. The UFL will serve the communities with pride, dedication and passion, and uphold a leadership role in the development of football worldwide.
But whether it is a USFL-type concept or a WLAF-type concept, the UFL still is the best football outside of the NFL, so what difference does it make?
Dusty..most people who follow Major League Baseball don’t follow the the best thing outside of MLB the minor leagues. Most people who follow the National Basketball Association, don’t follow or support the best basketball outside of the NBA, the NBA D league (name three teams in the D-league. My point is that the big difference between the other leagues such as the old American Football League and the United States Football league, and the World Football League, and even the Xtreme Football league,etc. were created to compete against the NFL.
I thought the UFL was going to establish a league with their own players, with the hope of growing to a point where someday they could compete say their football league was as good if not better than the NFL. That is what the American Football League did, and succeded, which is why Super Bowl #3 will forever be defined as one of the greatest, because the AFL New York Jets team beat the Established NFL team the Baltimore Colts and proved once and for all they could compete on equal footing with the NFL.
The UFL will NEVER rach those heights. In fact they are not trying to. The UFL hopes to become a football minor league, there is nothing wrong with that,except, the quality in the UFL will NEVER reach the NFL level, because the NFL will continue to take the best players making the NFL stronger, and the UFL weaker every year.
If you don’t mind that then enjoy your minor league football teams.
Gotta go, the Iowa Energy are playing the Utah Flash in the NBA D league, now that is must see sports TV. (by the way the NBA D league has been in business since 2001, 8 years. If the UFL is around in 8 years as a minor league, they will be just as popular as the NBA D league is now.)