Vince McMahon originally said no one with a criminal record would be allowed in the league.
Now that the AAF has been abolished due to poor management and a lack interest, Vince McMahon’s XFL reboot has a tough road ahead it. Spring football leagues haven’t had very much success in the past, something McMahon knows about first hand. If he wants to get people excited about the league, he’ll need to get some pretty big name players on board. One those names that would be perfect for the league is Johnny Manziel.
The only issue with that is McMahon stated that he wouldn’t want anyone with a criminal record in the league. Manziel was indicted on misdemeanor assault back in 2016, which led McMahon to say “you want someone who does not have any criminality whatsoever associated with them.”
It appears as though the league is now changing its tune though. In an interview on the “PFT PM” Podcast this week, XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said the league would be open to Manziel as long as the coaches feel like he’s good enough.
“If he is able to meet our standards and if our coaches think he’s one the top quarterbacks out there that can help us,” Luck said. “Certainly we have no reason not to believe he couldn’t be in the mix. But, again it’s really up to our coaches in terms the quarterbacks they wanna take a look at.”
With Manziel deadset on coming back to the NFL, the XFL would be a likely destination for someone trying to play their way back into the league.