Just when you thought this day couldn’t get any crazier, the AAF has hopped back into the spring football scene. Tom Dundon is being sued for $184 million, due to what transpired with the Alliance Of American Football back in 2019.
The U.S. Trustee overseeing the bankruptcy of the AAF has sued Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon for $184 million.
Dundon — the AAF’s former owner — is alleged to have tanked the startup when financial alternatives became available.
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To quickly recap, Dundon was brought into league ownership a couple of weeks into the season. The AAF was struggling financially, and Tom was supposed to help right the ship. After six more weeks of action, Dundon pulled the plug in week eight.
The league shut down, leaving an absolute disaster behind for others to clean up. Dundon took the league into bankruptcy, since they couldn’t afford the millions that they owed. Now, three years later, Dundon is being sued by the AAF bankruptcy trustee according to Pro Football Talk.
In a quote obtained from the lawsuit, Dundon is blamed for the downfall:
“Dundon and his associates dealt on their reputation and the league’s trust, which they induced, luring the league into ceding ownership and control, believing Dundon, as Dundon repeatedly told the league and the press, was committed to the League for ‘years to come’…Dundon’s ‘years to come’ lasted only 46 days. Instead of the $250 million financing commitment Dundon had promised, Dundon and his entities used the control they garnered to force the league to liquidate after investing less than $70 million and shut down with just two weeks remaining in the regular season.”
Tom Dundon Lawsuit
Interestingly enough, Dundon has sued someone else in response. Charlie Ebersol, founder of the AAF – the man responsible for bringing Tom into the league – is being sued by Dundon for $70 million.
This entire situation is a bit bizarre. But, that’s exactly what the AAF was. And unfortunately, that’s all it will ever be in the history of spring football leagues.
What did you think of the AAF? Is Tom Dundon responsible for the league’s crash and burn? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
