Group led by ‘The Rock’ to buy XFL for $15M

KSTP
[XFL]

A group led by actor and former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has agreed to purchase the XFL for approximately $15 million, ESPN reported Monday morning.

The XFL declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 13 and has been seeking a buyer for the past three months. That move came after its eight teams only made it through five weeks before the coronavirus pandemic forced it to suspend activity. The league then laid off almost its entire workforce on April 10.

"The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things — my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans," said Johnson, who played football at the University of Miami from 1990 to ’94. "With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL, and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football."

Organizational plans for the newest version of the XFL are not yet clear.