Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty
He may no longer be in the NFL, but Michael Vick has found a way to continue playing professional football here in the States.
The quarterback has joined a new professional flag football league that is testing out the concept in a game next month, according to ESPN.
The American Flag Football League, which aims to launch eight league-owned franchises in 2018, is hosting a game featuring Vick and former NFL running back Justin Forsett at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California, on June 27.
The idea comes from financier Jeff Lewis, who was inspired to start the league while watching his son play flag football last Fall.
“I just thought to myself, ‘what would this look like if great athletes played this?’” Lewis said. “There’s certainly a huge pool to take guys from. Every single year, NFL teams cut 800 guys. We need less than 100 players to field eight teams.”
The games will be played 7-on-7 on a full 100-yard football field with 60 minutes of game time. Also, technology has come to the flags, which will be attached via magnets instead of the usual Velcro. When a flag is detached, a sensor detects it and an official will be able to see the exact point on the field when the flag came off, thus ceding the guesswork to science.
According to ESPN, there are still some kinks to work out before players take the field, like how much they will be paid.
One idea is to have a player of the game bonus be objectively awarded to the player who scored the most points in a pre-determined fantasy point system.
“We think what will make this successful is urgency, affinity and quality,” Lewis said. “This is why shows like ‘American Idol’ and ‘American Ninja Warriors’ have been popular. We think the game and how we’ve set it up will give us this.”
SOURCE: EURweb.com
Article Courtesy of EURweb
Picture Courtesy of Kevin C. Cox and Getty Images
Michael Vick Has Found a New Way to Continue His Football Career was originally published on wzakcleveland.com
