Darrion Scott last week had a chance to rejoin the Washington Redskins and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, who coached him with the UFL's Florida Tuskers in 2009. In order to leave the UFL, though, Scott had to pay $25,000 -- a hefty financial burden for a journeyman defensive tackle.
He also was waiting for his UFL paycheck -- a situation that commissioner Michael Huyghue said will be remedied for Scott and the league's other players.
Several players and agents said in the last few days that UFL players still hadn't been paid for the regular season, which ended Nov. 20. Those agents and players were upset over the significant delay.
"That's not right for guys who were counting on that money for the holidays to still be waiting," one veteran UFL player said. "A lot of players are upset about this."
Huyghue apologized Thursday for the delay and said the money will come soon, attributing the cash-flow issue (the league owes $1.5 million in back salary, he said) to a holdup in a $50 million transaction involving a UFL owner. Coupled with heightened operational costs from expansion and the relocation of several teams, the league was left in a "December cash crunch," a UFL source said.
That source added: "Our revenues were not there as we projected -- they were down but not that far off -- and our operational expenses were a lot higher than we expected."
Huyghue said despite the financial hiccup, he believes the league's future is bright. He is open to working with the NFL on the transfer-ree issue, seeking "some synergy" between the sides in player transactions. Despite the fact that many teams and agents decried the transfer system, Huyghue pointed out, "The fact is that 15 teams did pay transfer fees, so it's clear there is a value to being able to sign players from our league (since they already are in playing shape and recently scout-able)."
The UFL is set to begin its third season in the summer of 2011, moving up its schedule with the possibility of an NFL lockout.
