With Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson serving as majority owner of the revamped XFL, diversity and opportunity have been buzz words as the 2023 season nears its February kickoff.
St. Louis has been granted a franchise; however, the team will not have a Black head coach as it did during the short-lived 2020 season.
Anthony Becht, a former tight end with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs, will be at the helm instead of former head coach Jonathan Hayes.
If Hayes has a problem with not being hired by the XFL to return to St. Louis, he will have a chance to get even. He has been hired as Dallas Renegades offensive coordinator.
Becht’s staff, which does include several Black coaches, has a few recognizable names from Rams’ glory days. They include defensive line coach La’Roi Glover and receivers coach Rickey Proehl. Former NFL All Pro safety Donnie Abraham will serve as defensive coordinator.
Other coaches include former Mizzou defensive coordinator Dave Steckel, linebackers coach, and former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski as offensive coordinator.
The XFL’s Black coaches are Terrell Buckley, XFL Orlando; Rod Woodson, XFL Las Vegas; Hines Ward, XFL San Antonio; and Reggie Barlow, XFL Washington, D.C.
Anastasia Ali will serve as the XFL St. Louis director of team operations. Before joining the XFL, Ali was NFL director of business operations and strategy of football operations.
In that role, she helped plan and execute programs and initiatives that support football operations’ strategic priorities,” according to a job posting by the NFL at glassdoor.com.
I wondered why she would leave that job for her role in St. Louis, and the job post explained at least part of her motivation.
The NFL made an estimated $9.8 billion during the 2021 season, with each of its 32 teams receiving $309.2 million. We know this because the Green Bay Packers operate as a “not-for-profit,” is publicly held, and must disclose its dealings with the league.
Commissioner Roger Goodell earns $35 million annually, not including bonuses which more than doubled his compensation in 2021.
The job that Ali held pays between $57,000 and $85,000, according to the job post at glassdoor.com.
Ali is joining league with more financial stability then the past two XFL attempts.
The 2023 season will begin on February 18, 2023, a week after Super Bowl LVII. Games will be aired on ABC, the ESPN networks, and FX.
The Reid Roundup
Good to see Missouri 5-star recruit Luther Burden returning punts, as I suggested in last week’s Sports Eye. It was an obvious move. Burden rewarded coach Eli Drinkwitz’ tardy confidence in his skill with a 78-yard touchdown return against Abilene Christian University last Saturday…I chatted with a source close to a local high school and Missouri football about Burden’s lack of use during the 2022 season. “It’s weird. Something’s weird,” he said…Any chance Nebraska interim coach Mickey Joseph had of landing the job permanently probably went up in flames when Oklahoma broiled the Cornhuskers 49-14. Joseph took over last week when Scott Frost was fired after three games…Mickey Joseph is a brother of Vance Joseph, former Denver Broncos head coach and current Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator…Arizona State and its former head coach Herm Edwards agreed to part ways on Sunday following the Sun Devils’ defeat at the hands of Easter Michigan. ASU is under investigation for recruiting violations, including hosting recruits and parents on campus during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020…While Albert Pujols continues his pursuit of 700 home runs, Aaron Judge’s attempt to top 61 home runs for the New York Yankees is just as intriguing. Judge will be considered “the real single-season home run king,” if he reaches 62 or more. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds had a little help…An anonymous NBA Eastern Conference coach told Sean Deveney of heavy.com that Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has “a gaping hole” in his game, which is playing in the post. “The real superstar forwards, like Kevin Durant, like LeBron James, like Giannis Antetokounmpo, like Kawhi Leonard, they’re all finding ways to get themselves easy buckets in the post. If he wants to get to their level, he has to work on that.”
