Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward, More to Oversee Alliance of America Football League

The new Alliance of American Football will include the involvement of former NFL general manager Bill Polian as well as former NFL players Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward and Justin Tuck.

AAF founder Charlie Ebersol told Darren Rovell of ESPN.com that Polian will help oversee league matters, while Polamalu is going handle player issues. Ward and Tuck are ticketed for advisory roles.

Ebersol said the league, which is targeting a February 2019 debut, is also going to receive help from his father, NBC Sports executive Dick Ebersol, and former USC associate athletic director John McKay Jr.

With help from that high-profile group, the league hopes to eventually fill the void left when the college football and NFL seasons come to an end.

"I think where businesses like this fail is that they expect to have ludicrous and unrealistic ticket and media deal projections in year one," Ebersol told Rovell. "Our investors here understand that it's a seven- to 10-year plan."

He added the AAF has already secured a media-rights deal with CBS to air the league's first game as well as the inaugural championship on the network. One contest during each of the season's 10 weeks will also be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.

Ebersol noted the league is also going to place a high level of importance on the fantasy football element ("We have to be able to take advantage of the people who just stop playing fantasy when the NFL season ends," he said) and hopes it can find diamonds in the rough, per Rovell.

"There are 28,000 Division I football players. Only 1,700 have NFL jobs," Ebersol said. "We're looking for those Kurt Warners working in grocery stores and we think we will find them."

The AAF is going need 400 players to start with eight teams featuring 50 players each. Further information about where the franchises will be located is expected "in the next three months."