UFL boss: League won’t keep players from leaving for NFL

United Football League commissioner Michael Huyghue said he will not stand in the way of his players leaving for the NFL once the UFL season has ended instead of waiting until February, as is stipulated in the standard players contract.

The players say they want to believe him.

"If he says so and puts it down on paper, fine," Locomotives linebacker Brandon Moore said Wednesday after practice at Sam Boyd Stadium. "If not, it's like we have been taken advantage of."

The website profootballtalk.com posted a report Tuesday indicating the UFL might not let its players leave until February and would charge an NFL team a transfer fee of $150,000 for each player, regardless of where an NFL team places him. Huyghue said the report was wrong and that players will be able to leave as soon as their UFL season ends. The regular season concludes Saturday when the first-place Locos (5-2) travel to Hartford to face the last-place Colonials (2-5).

"From Day One, our policy has been the same -- once a team's season ends, any player is free to go to the NFL," Huyghue said Wednesday. "We want our players to go to the NFL. I'm not sure where that rumor on the Internet started, but there's no truth to it."

Huyghue said any UFL player who signs with an NFL team's practice squad, signs a long-term deal or waits until his contract expires in February is not subject to the $150,000 fee. The fee applies only to players who are assigned to NFL active rosters.

Locos coach Jim Fassel, who also serves as the team's general manager, was reluctant to discuss the issue after Wednesday's practice.

"I'm trying to get us ready to play a game Saturday," he said. "But I believe this will all get worked out once the season ends. I think the league has to protect its investment. It spends a lot of money on these players."

His players, most of whom make about $50,000 for the eight-game UFL season, hope it gets resolved quickly.

"I'm not worried," tight end Adam Bergen said. "If they don't, there won't be a league because nobody will want to play (in the UFL)."

Kicker Stephen Hauschka, who figures to generate interest from the NFL once the Locos conclude their season Nov. 27 in the UFL championship game, said he hopes the league won't live by the letter of the law.

"I think it would be stupid if they didn't let guys go," Hauschka said. "My understanding is that they'll let guys leave as soon as the season's over. But we all signed that crazy contract, and when we signed, we knew it could be an issue."

There is no UFL players association to protect the players' interests. When a player considers signing with the UFL, it's essentially a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. But many take it hoping they'll generate enough exposure in the UFL to warrant a look by an NFL team. Last year, 43 UFL players ended up on NFL teams, either on active rosters or practice squads.

Running back DeDe Dorsey, who could be on the move after the title game in Omaha, Neb., said he hasn't dwelled much on whether he'll return to the NFL. The Detroit Lions released Dorsey at the end of the preseason.

"I haven't thought much about it," he said. "When the time comes, then I'll worry about it. Right now, I'm just focusing on Saturday's game."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.