On April 2, 2019, the league's football operations were reportedly suspended,[4][5] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.[6]
Historyedit
The Alliance of American Football announced the awarding of the third inaugural league team, Alliance Memphis, on May 4, 2018.[7] This announcement was followed by the May 10, 2018, announcement of Mike Singletary as the team's head coach.[3]
On July 30, 2018, the Alliance announced team Memphis had signed its first 29 players.[8] On September 20, the league announced four eastern inaugural franchises' names and logos including Memphis as the Memphis Express.[9] The name is derived from Memphis' significance as a mail and cargo transport city being the "World Headquarters" of FedEx (formerly Federal Express), with an airplane being featured in the logo.[10] (FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith had previously owned the Memphis Mad Dogs pro football team in the 1990s; as the AAF was a single-entity league that never progressed to selling individual franchises as originally planned, Smith had no involvement or investment with the Express, despite the use of the Express name and imagery.)
On April 2, 2019, the league's football operations were suspended,[4][5] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.[6] On April 17, 2019, the league announced the cessation of business operations after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.[17]
This was the first overtime game in AAF history. Despite newly signed quarterback Johnny Manziel playing a few series for the Express, starter Brandon Silvers led the team to a comeback victory, keeping its slim postseason chances alive.[28]
Week 8: Orlandoedit
Week Eight: Orlando Apollos at Memphis Express – Game summary
^"New pro football team could boost business in Memphis". WREG Memphis. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
^Froyd, Crissy (August 27, 2018). "Zach Mettenberger and Antonio Andrews reunite in new pro league". Titans Wire. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
^ ab"Mike Singletary will coach Memphis team in upcoming Alliance of American Football". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
^ abKercheval, Ben (April 2, 2019). "AAF operations suspended, league's future in doubt after eight games of first season". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
^ ab"AAF to immediately suspend operations". ESPN. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
^ abSchwartz, Nick (April 4, 2019). "AAF star Keith Reaser becomes first player to sign NFL deal after league shutdown". USA Today. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
^"Memphis awarded Alliance of American Football team". Commercial Appeal. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
^ abMunz, Jason (August 1, 2018). "Alliance of American Football announces Memphis team has signed 28 players". The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
^Benjamin, Cody (September 20, 2018). "LOOK: Alliance of American Football unveils logos of four pro teams that will debut in 2019". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
^Munz, Jason (September 20, 2018). "Memphis' new pro football team now has a name and logo". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
^Thompson, Cole (January 5, 2019). "Alliance of American Football Training Camp Officially Underway in San Antonio". AAF.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
^"Memphis Express sets final roster". Alliance of American Football. January 30, 2019. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
^Kercheval, Ben (February 10, 2019). "AAF Week 1 scores, highlights: Trent Richardson scores two TDs after slow start in Iron debut". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
^"Hotshots come back to become first team with road win in AAF history". arizonasports. KTAR. February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
^Mellor, Cam (March 3, 2019). "ReFocused: Memphis Express 26, San Diego Fleet 23". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
^Rubino, Dylan (March 16, 2019). "Memphis gets Manziel: Heisman QB joins Alliance". AAF.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
^"AAF Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy". Front Office Sports. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
^Florio, Mike (February 25, 2019). "AAF does its first-ever scheduling flex". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
^"CBS SPORTS ELEVATES TWO ALLIANCE GAMES TO CBS TELEVISION NETWORK". Alliance of American Football. March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
^"2019 Memphis Express Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
^Filipe, Cameron (February 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 1, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^Filipe, Cameron (February 13, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 2, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^Filipe, Cameron (February 22, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 3, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^Filipe, Cameron (February 27, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 4, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^Filipe, Cameron (March 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 5, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^Filipe, Cameron (March 14, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 6, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^Filipe, Cameron (March 21, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 7, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
^Anderson, Brett (March 24, 2019). "AAF Week 7 scores, updates, highlights: Johnny Manziel debuts, but other Express QB wins it in OT". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
^Filipe, Cameron (March 28, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 8, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
^Greer, Jarvis (December 14, 2018). "Local radio station tabbed as Memphis Express home". WMC-TV. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
Further readingedit
Giannotto, Mark (April 2, 2019). "The AAF should be ashamed, but we should have all seen a quick demise coming". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. Retrieved April 3, 2019.