Report: AAF Players Forced to Pay for Flights Home After League Suspends Play

The Alliance of American Football is suspending operations with two weeks remaining in its inaugural season, according to an email obtained by NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala. What's more, the league reportedly isn't taking care of its players in the wake of the suspension.

Per Sports Illustrated's Robert Klemko, AAF teams are making their players pay for flights back to their homes.

Per The MMQB's Albert Breer, the AAF attempted to save money during the season by only letting coaches and players eat on team flights, and team meals on the night before games were eliminated in favor of a $30 per diem for each player.

The AAF seemed like an early success after its initial launch on Feb. 9. Its first broadcast on CBS drew 2.9 million viewers, higher than a Houston Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder game going on in the same time period.

After that successful opening week, The Athletic's David Glenn reported Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon made a $250 million investment in the AAF to help the league meet its financial obligations, including payroll for employees.

The Action Network's Darren Rovell reported Dundon stands to lose around $70 million of his investment in the league.

Co-founded by Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian, the AAF was designed as a secondary football league to be played after the NFL season concluded. The Orlando Apollos were leading the league with a 7-1 record and two games remaining in the regular season before the league suspended operations.