Former Cowboys T.O., Pacman Jones Launching Pro Football Played on ... Sand
They failed to take the Dallas Cowboys to the Super Bowl. Maybe Terrell Owens and Pacman Jones can finally win a championship ... on the sand.
The former Cowboys teammates are among NFL players - led by a group of New England Patriots - launching the Beach Football League. It's tackle football played on sand, with a draft and inaugural game set for a "surprise location" in February 2024 and league play scheduled to begin June 2024. Former Patriots' linebacker Tully Banta-Cain is the league's founder. Ex-Pats running back Corey Dillon, linebacker Jamie Collins and recently retired safety Devin McCourty are on the list of former NFL players scheduled to participate, along with Owens, Jones, Patrick Willis, Bryant McKinnie, Prince Amukamara and Tre Williams.
Says T.O. of the new venture, "Looking forward to taking my talents and popcorn to the beach. Getcha popcorn ready!”
For what it's worth, the BFL refers to "future Hall of Famer Pacman Jones." With only eight career touchdowns, one All-Pro team and two seasons completely wiped out by personal conduct/legal issues, that seems wholly unlikely. Since last playing in the NFL in 2010 the 49-year-old Owens has toiled with the arena league Allen Wranglers and a seven-on-seven Fan Controlled Football league, while regularly claiming he can still play at the highest level.
Coming off a disappointing 2007 in which the Cowboys had home-field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs but lost to the New York Giants, the arrival of Jones was supposed to help them get over the hump. Instead, they finished 9-7 in 2008, closing down Texas Stadium with an ugly loss to the Baltimore Ravens and a week later missing the playoffs in a humiliating 44-6 defeat to the Eagles in Philadelphia.
The NFL has long withstood challengers to its throne. Whether it be outdoor (USFL), indoor (AFL) or radical (XFL), there have consistently arisen alternatives to the professional football product that dominates American sports. The next league to throw its helmet in the ring will apparently be one that plays its games on sand.
“We are filling a huge void in the sport by introducing a whole new playing field - replacing turf with sand," says Collins in BFL's press release. "To me, the BFL is really about getting back to the basics of football and focusing on the fun of it.”
In light of what happened to rising star running back Robert Edwards, NFL fans might cringe at the idea of combining football and sand. New England's first-round draft pick in 1998, Edwards rushed for 1,115, ran for a touchdown in his first six games and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. But during a flag football game on the beach in Hawaii he suffered a catastrophic knee injury that almost forced his leg to be amputated. He didn't return to the NFL until 2002 with the Miami Dolphins.
“Minority ownership is rare among leagues so I’m extremely proud to be embarking on this journey with my teammates, friends, and other players from the NFL," said Banta-Cain, who won two Super Bowls in New England. "We are creating a safe and lower-impact alternative for the players while giving fans an interactive opportunity to be involved with a new inclusive league.”
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