By RJ Reid
The International Football Alliance (IFA) is facing a potential crisis as the Baltimore Lightning announced their departure from the league, alleging financial mismanagement and fraud by league director James Adams.
In a scathing statement, the Lightning accused Adams of misappropriating funds and failing to fulfill promises made to the team. They further claimed that other teams within the IFA are experiencing similar issues and may soon follow suit.
These allegations have sent shockwaves through the league, particularly for teams like the San Antonio Caballeros, who are preparing for their inaugural season.
The IFA responded by saying that the Lightning was voted to be removed from the league unanimously by the other owners due to the “organization’s consistent failure to meet professional internal operational standards, failure to adhere to league requirements, and failure to uphold the standards expected.”
Former Caballeros owner Stephen Fohey echoed the Lightning’s concerns, stating that Adams owes him money and that there is significant uncertainty surrounding the league’s financial stability. Fohey has since stepped down as owner, handing over control to head coach and general manager Hal Mumme.
Despite these concerns, Mumme remains optimistic about the Caballeros’ future, stating that the team is “busy at work and excited for kick-off on June 7th.”
The IFA’s schedule remains unchanged, with the combine, team tryouts, and regular season games continuing as planned. However, the league faces a crucial period as it seeks to address the serious allegations and regain the trust of its member teams and fans who have been spurned by numerous spring football leagues that have come and gone over the years.
Additionally, all this affects the players who signed up to join this league in hopes of furthering their playing careers. Many of them are from smaller schools or conferences that don’t get a lot of attention. The IFA would provide them an opportunity to play NFL-style football and putting their game on tape for scouts to potentially see and be evaluated. Now, their chances could be standing on shaky ground with the league in turmoil. With the statement released by the Lightning, how will this affect potential players? Will they turnout for the scheduled tryouts? Will the IFA draft continue, and will any players still be in the draft pool? There are many questions that are yet to be answered, and the next couple weeks are critical to the future of the IFA as we wait and see if other teams decide the follow suite of the Lightning.
The inaugural season, scheduled to kick off on May 31st with the Alabama Beavers facing the Tampa Tornadoes, now hangs in the balance and the IFA needs to redo the schedule and teams need to revise their ticket packaging. There are a lot of things that need to be done in the wake of Baltimore’s departure, but first and foremost is restoring any trust that was lost between the remaining teams, players and fans.