Report: XFL Suspends Operations, All Employees Laid Off

The XFL canceled its remaining regular-season games on March 12 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The XFL suspended operations on Friday and laid off all of its employees, according to ESPN's Field Yates

The upstart league canceled its season on March 12, joining the NBA, MLB, NHL and nearly all sports leagues across the globe. 

"All players will be paid their base pay and benefits for the 2020 regular season," the XFL said in a statement on March 12. "The XFL is committed to playing a full season in 2021 and future years."

The XFL was five weeks into its first season since 2001 before the coronavirus suspension. The league had its semifinals slated for April 18 and 19, and the championship was supposed to be played in Houston on April 26. 

There are more than 1.6 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus globally across at least 176 countries. At least 100,000 people have died.


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Michael Shapiro
MICHAEL SHAPIRO

Michael Shapiro is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated. He is a Denver native and 2018 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.