Pacific Pro Football

Pacific Pro Football, also called Pacific Pro League (Pac Pro), is a planned professional development American football league.[2] The league would be a single entity, owning all the teams, and play during summers from July to August.[3] The league was planning to start play in July 2020. As of January 2019, the league's advisory board consists of Mike Shanahan, Jim Steeg, Mike Pereira, Baron Flenory, and Steve Schmidt.[4]

Pacific Pro Football
SportAmerican football
Founded2017
Founder
[1]
Inaugural season2020 (planned)
CEOJamie Hemann
CommissionerEd McCaffrey
No. of teams4 (planned)
CountryUS
ClassificationDevelopmental
Sponsor(s)Adidas
Official websitepacificprofootball.com


Background

Don Yee, best known as the sports agent for Tom Brady, has advocated for years for college football players to be paid, particularly via a 2010 op-ed in The Washington Post.[5] Yee would have "football corporations" purchase college football programs through bids leading to the end of the NCAA, with colleges focusing on education.[3] Yee and other sports agents saw that young players were not being served by the existing college football system.[6]

History

The league was announced by Yee on January 11, 2017.[2][7] The league had planned to start recruiting in 2017 and then play in the summer of 2018 with four teams.[2][7] The league's COO Bradley Edwards indicated that they had closed a round of angel investing;[7] although as of May 2017, the league was looking for additional investors.[3]

By February 2018, the league pushed its start back to the summer of 2019, and signed on Adidas as a major sponsor.[8] Jamie Hemann was hired in December 2018 as CEO, to start on January 1, 2019. Also revealed at the time was that the league start had been pushed back to July 2020.[9] On January 7, 2019, it was announced that former NFL player Ed McCaffrey would serve as commissioner.[10] The July 2020 date for launch of the league was also reaffirmed.[10] On September 25-27, 2019 the Pac Pro held their official event, a three-day workout called "Scrimmage" an invitation-only camp.[11]

On May 4, 2020, Sports Business Journal reported that Yee abandoned current business-to-consumer model for the league while drawing up a new business-to-business model for the renamed league.[12]

Players

The league would only hire non-NFL eligible players,[2] thus focused on high school graduates not going to college nor out of school for over three years.[13] Average pay would be $50,000 plus optional community college tuition and books for a year.[13] Benefits would also be a part of compensation, including career-ending injury coverage. A set of programs and internships, academic and vocational, would be made available through the league.[3] The players, as professionals, would be able to enter into sponsorship deals.[14] The league would train the players in pro-style play.[2] All players would get playing time, with players assigned to the team closest to their high school.[6]

Structure

The four teams of 50 players would be based in southern California[2] four major counties Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange County and San Diego,[15] playing in mid-size municipal or college stadiums on Sundays.[3][6] The league may use only two venues.[6] The season would consist of eight games for each team,[7] plus a two-round playoff.[6] The league plans to have eight full-time coaches and eight part-time assistant coaches per team.[6] The league would also serve as a training ground for future NFL staff.[16]

The league's plans were to expend to 12 teams by 2025, first by four teams on the East Coast after year three, and later to four more teams on a different location.[17]

Pacific Pro Scrimmage

On September 25-27, 2019 the Pac Pro held their official event, a three-day workout called "Scrimmage" an invitation-only camp, at Whittier College in Whittier, California. The scrimmage was targeted to scouts from the NFL, XFL and CFL.[11] Four NFL teams, Browns, 49ers, Rams and Chargers, were confirmed as attending.[18] They featured "approximately 20" players with no punters, kickers or long snappers.[11] Yee envisions it being a yearly event then growing into an ongoing regular season combine. In the inaugural camp, players received coaching from former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer and longtime NFL and college coaches Dwaine Board (defensive line), Dave Magazu (offensive line), Geep Chryst (Wide Receivers).[18]

Notable attendees:

References
  1. "Founders". pacificprofootball.com. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  2. Kaplan, Emily (January 19, 2017). "A Look at Don Yee's New NFL D-League". SI.com. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  3. Grossman, Evan (May 27, 2017). "Tom Brady's agent Don Yee bucks against football system and NCAA with Pacific Pro league". NY Daily News.
  4. "Advisory Board". pacificprofootball.com. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  5. Yee, Don (August 19, 2010). "A pro agent's case for paying college football players". The Washington Post.
  6. Wetzel, Dan (January 11, 2017). "Could this pro football league help fix a nagging NFL draft problem?". Yahoo Sports. Oath. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  7. "Pacific Pro Football League to debut in 2018". ESPN.com. Jan 11, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  8. Bell, Jarrett (February 28, 2018). "Agent Don Yee lands Adidas as sponsor for Pacific Pro Football". USA Today. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  9. Smith, Michael (December 18, 2018). "Pac Pro Football Startup Hires Jamie Hemann As First CEO". Sports Business Daily. American City Business Journals. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  10. Wilson, Bernie (January 7, 2019). "Former Lehigh Valley, NFL star Ed McCaffrey to help head Pacific Pro Football". The Morning Call. AP. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  11. "Pacific Pro Football schedules camp for NFL free agents". AP News. September 16, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  12. Smith, Michael (May 4, 2020). "Yee's college development plan takes a turn". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  13. Earlywine, Aaron (February 9, 2017). "A closer look at football developmental leagues". SI.com. Time, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  14. Powell, Ellen (January 12, 2017). "Pacific Pro Football League: A welcome alternative to the NFL?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  15. "Pacific Pro Football League looking to make roots in San Diego by 2020". Fox5 San Diego. January 10, 2019.
  16. Maese, Rick (January 11, 2017). "New summer pro football league aims to offer paid alternative to college football". Washington Post. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  17. "Pacific Pro Football League looking to make roots in San Diego by 2020". Fox5 San Diego. January 10, 2019.
  18. "NFL teams excited about a potential new way to evaluate free agents during the season". CBS Sports. September 15, 2019.
  19. Jahns, Adam (March 31, 2020). "Why former basketball player Darion Clark believes he can help the Bears". The Athletic. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  20. "Why former basketball player Darion Clark believes he can help the Bears". The Athletic. March 31, 2020.
  21. Huett, Wes (October 15, 2019). "Peorian Logan Tuley-Tillman drafted into the XFL". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
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