Not a huge interview, but Axios does get a brief snippet of Cardinale explaining why the league doesn't have a commissioner.
"It seemed to me that everybody tried to compete with the NFL. When you have the title of commissioner for a spring football league, what does that tell you? We don't have a commissioner. We run this like a live events and entertainment company."
The implication Axios makes is that Cardinale is deliberately trying to align the XFL with the NFL.
I'm getting a lot more huge red flags with this guy after this quote. This sounds almost exactly like the kind of talk Tom Dundon had.
I don't really understand the commissioner comment and what it has to do with "competing" or not with the NFL.
Dany Garcia has been very clear in multiple interviews that they're not looking to partner with the NFL to be a feeder league for them. I can't imagine her publicly swatting down that idea if the money man behind the league wasn't on board.
Somebody should tell Cardinale that a professional sports league needs a commissioner for legitimacy, leadership, administration of the league and to speak for the group of owners. If Cardinale doesn't want to spent money for the role of commissioner than that means, he isn't behind the XFL for the long haul. Not a good sign
Pretty sure Russ Brandon is the defacto commissioner. He can do everything Oliver Luck did, but at a fraction of the cost. I don't see the big deal here
Tank55 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:16 am
Agreed, very weird. Does the USFL have a commissioner? Did the AAF? XFL 2020 did; were they trying to compete with the NFL?
Not a commissioner in name, but more of a VP of Football Operations, who happens to be Darryl Johnston.
laxtreme56 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:17 am
Pretty sure Russ Brandon is the defacto commissioner. He can do everything Oliver Luck did, but at a fraction of the cost. I don't see the big deal here
It is a big deal. How much credibility as a commissioner would Brandon have after the sexual harassment allegations in the Buffalo Bills organization? He did resign from the Bills because of those allegations, did he not? Commissioners may look creepy(Silvers, Ambrosie, Bettman), but shouldn't be involved in things of creepy allegations
laxtreme56 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:17 am
Pretty sure Russ Brandon is the defacto commissioner. He can do everything Oliver Luck did, but at a fraction of the cost. I don't see the big deal here
It is a big deal. How much credibility as a commissioner would Brandon have after the sexual harassment allegations in the Buffalo Bills organization? He did resign from the Bills because of those allegations, did he not? Commissioners may look creepy(Silvers, Ambrosie, Bettman), but shouldn't be involved in things of creepy allegations
The Bills parent company said that was untrue. His departure was amicable and tied mainly to the Pegula family consolidating control.
The claims you're making are tied to a single reporter, Tim Graham, who conjured the story during his last few days at The Buffalo News. He continued to make false claims about Brandon after he jumped to The Athletic (particularly a claim that New Era Cap Company had hired Brandon; even after New Era said Graham was lying, Graham insisted the story was true).
laxtreme56 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:17 am
Pretty sure Russ Brandon is the defacto commissioner. He can do everything Oliver Luck did, but at a fraction of the cost. I don't see the big deal here
It is a big deal. How much credibility as a commissioner would Brandon have after the sexual harassment allegations in the Buffalo Bills organization? He did resign from the Bills because of those allegations, did he not? Commissioners may look creepy(Silvers, Ambrosie, Bettman), but shouldn't be involved in things of creepy allegations
The Bills parent company said that was untrue. His departure was amicable and tied mainly to the Pegula family consolidating control.
The claims you're making are tied to a single reporter, Tim Graham, who conjured the story during his last few days at The Buffalo News. He continued to make false claims about Brandon after he jumped to The Athletic (particularly a claim that New Era Cap Company had hired Brandon; even after New Era said Graham was lying, Graham insisted the story was true).
Then why didn't Brandon sue Graham for defamation of character or a cease and desist order, if it wasn't true