XFL Announces Season Canceled Due to COVID-19; Players Free to Sign with NFL
March 20, 2020
The XFL officially announced the cancellation of the 2020 season Friday in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The organization will allow players to sign with teams in other leagues starting March 23:
A few players stood out in the abridged XFL season and should catch on with NFL teams, per reports:
Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston noted Thursday that the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos "contacted the Houston Roughnecks inquiring about quarterback PJ Walker."
A number of players have spoken positively about their experiences in the XFL, which was far more successful in its reboot than it was when it initially launched in 2001 and lasted one season:
Kenny Robinson @krob2__Thank you 🙏🏼 @xfl2020 and @XFLBattleHawks for the opportunity to showcase my talents and taking a chance on me. I am forever thankful and grateful for everything. Also I would like to thank St.Louis for taking me in with open Arms and all the Support you guys were the BEST‼️💙🦅 https://t.co/hF7tcb5rCY
The XFL becomes the latest league to take action to stem the spread of COVID-19. Professional leagues such as the NBA, NHL, MLB and various European soccer leagues, among others, have gone on hiatus, while the NCAA canceled the men's and women's basketball tournaments and all winter and spring championships.
Over 209,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported globally, per CNN.com, with 8,778 deaths. There have been 7,087 cases and 100 deaths in the United States.