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The UFL and its players continue to trade preseason barbs amid stalled labor negotiations.
Players were warned Tuesday they could be released from their contracts if they went through with a planned boycott of the league’s media days on Thursday and Friday. In response, players are continuing to “keep all options on the table,” a source familiar with negotiations told Front Office Sports. That includes striking as the start of the season is only three weeks away.
UFL players were “really upset” by the threat but are “focused on getting a fair CBA,” the source said. Media days are slated to take place Thursday and Friday in Arlington, Texas.
The threat from teams was first reported by ESPN. A league source told ESPN that cutting players for skipping media day “is not a part of UFL policy.”
The two sides have been in talks for a new labor deal since December, with players seeking increased salaries from the reported $55,000 they made in 2024 and year-round health-care coverage, which they find unreasonable given the health risks of playing football.
The league’s 24 quarterbacks skipped a February preseason camp in Arlington over the labor talks, and sent a signed letter addressed to UFL president Russ Brandon and vice president of football operations Daryl Johnston that called the offer “unacceptable and insulting.”
In light of the quarterbacks’ actions, the UFL updated its offer. The recent offer improved enough to get players to report to training camp, which started Monday, but didn’t narrow the gap between the two sides to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, with players still threatening to strike or explore other options ahead of the March 28 season opener.
On Tuesday, a day into training camp, UFL coaches relayed a message to players.
“They told us that the league had gotten wind of union organization against the media days,” a player told ESPN. “And that if anyone acted on that, that they would be cut and considered to have acted with conduct detrimental [to the league].”
Players asked coaches where the message came from and they said it was from Johnston, ESPN reported. A UFL spokesperson declined to comment.
The UFL is entering its second season after merging with the XFL. The league has eight teams, mainly in non-NFL markets. Fox, which airs the games, owns half the league, while RedBird Capital, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Dany Garcia, Johnson’s ex-wife, own the other half.
In 2024, the UFL drew strong ratings for a non-NFL spring football league, with average ratings around 816,000. That was an improvement on the two entities that merged to form the UFL: the USFL and XFL.
Editors’ note: RedBird Capital is the parent company of RedBird IMI, the majority owner of Front Office Sports.
