A Q & A with new XFL Commissioner, Oliver Luck

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The full text of “A Q & A with new XFL Commissioner, Oliver Luck”, from the Vol 2 — Fall 2018 issue.

Oliver Luck has an impressive resume. In addition to being Andrew Luck’s father, he is a former quarterback at West Virginia, NFL player, head of NFL Europe, athletic director at his alma mater and an executive vice-president of the NCAA. He now may be facing his most difficult challenge – Commissioner of Vince McMahon’s reborn rebel league, the XFL. Luck sat down with us to talk about the league and his new job. Q.

What made the position of Commissioner of the XFL so enticing to you that you decided to leave the NCAA? “I was very happy overseeing regulatory affairs with the NCAA and I love college sports and everything it does for young men and women but after speaking to Vince (McMahon) I became captivated by this outstanding opportunity and challenge. Football is my first love, and Vince and I agree about his idea of ‘re-imaging the game’ and he put together a solid, well-capitalized business plan.

I became convinced that we can make changes in the game, all for the better.” “This includes establishing a fast-paced, high quality of play, shorter games, eliminating some stoppages in play and attempting to create more of a rhythm for the teams involved. It’s really re-thinking how the game operates.” Q. Tell us about the timetable for the XFL. I know you’re scheduled for kickoff in early 2020. “We have time but we’re already in crunch time, even with a year and a half to go.

Some of the projects include focusing on hiring staff, addressing player and personnel issues, various market selections, and Q & A with New XFL Com

45 venues for eight franchises. We are also going to rethink overall television production and, as I mentioned, ‘re-imagine the game’ both on and off the field. One major area we’ve already addressed is the complexity of obtaining appropriate insurance coverage, both workman’s comp and general liability, that properly protects the players and the league. Fortunately, Vince took care of this before announcing the league’s return.” Q. Where will most of the players come from?

“Most fans don’t appreciate the player churn in the NFL so some may have had a cup of coffee in the NFL. Many NFL players only last three of four years in the league so some may be available to us. Some will come from college. College players are better than they were years ago, and there are more of them. The lineman that’s a little too small for the NFL, with better conditioning, might be right for the 90-play pace we envision.

Also the XFL isn’t subject to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, so while it’s unlikely a player right out of high school would be ready to play professionally, some a year or two removed could be exceptions.” Q. Do you have a player and coaching salary cap? “There will be a pot of money teams will use to play players, so there will be a cap. Everyone won’t make the same salary.

We’re in the process of developing our salary range but we are well-capitalized and have a strong financial structure.” missioner Oliver Luck

Q. What cities/markets are you committed to? “There are 40 million passionate football fans out there and we will present a high quality of play to those fans. We have not announced the markets or venues yet but the announcement will be coming shortly. A few months ago we sent proposals to 30 cities, and we’re in the process of going through the responses to determine which cities and venues will work.” Q. Will there be rules changes or will it be conventional football as we know it?

“We’ve discussed a lot of potential changes, but it will basically be the 11 on 11 football we’re used to seeing, with some tweaks. We want to speed up the game and are contemplating a 25 second play clock. We are also looking at eliminating the meaningless late-game, kill-the-clock kneel-down. We want every play to be meaningful and to give the game rhythm and flow.” “We’re also going to examine in-game communication. For 30 years or so it’s been a one-way conversation. Should it be two ways?

There are a number of things we can do with technology that will ultimately benefit the players.” “We will also have the highest health and safety protocols possible. Not only is it the right thing to do for the players but I don’t think the American public will support a league that doesn’t.” Q. What about television – do you have a partner? “We don’t yet but we will soon. We’ve had lots of interesting discussions with legacy broadcasters.” Q. Are you selling franchises to individuals or groups?

“No, we’re not selling franchises. The league will operate as a vertically integrated, single entity structure, so Vince McMahon is the overall owner of the league and the XFL will centrally operate the business side. Each team will have a president, head coach and local staff, and will make its own decisions on football issues.” Q. What is the overall budget for the league? “It’s been widely reported that Vince has committed $500 million as operating capital for the XFL.

There is an operating budget for the league, and each team will have one as well, which we see as reasonable at each level.” Q. Will the game be shorter than the typical NFL game? Yes – one of our major concerns is the flow of the game. There are an incredible number of stoppages in play in each NFL game. We’re looking to establish a high quality, 90-play per team pace by limiting unnecessary stoppages and, as I mentioned before, create a good flow to each XFL game.”

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