As professional sports leagues around the world began to cancel their seasons, Jordan Martin and his teammates were called into a team meeting. The former Syracuse defensive back found out one of his Seattle Dragons teammates had tested positive for COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Five games into the inaugural XFL season, Martin and four other former Syracuse football players’ — Jay Bromley, Andrew Tiller, Shamarko Thomas and Eric Dungey — attempts to continue their professional football careers were put on pause when the 2020 XFL season was canceled on March 12. 

“I already heard the NBA and hockey and stuff like that were ending, so we were kind of figuring that we were going to be up next,” Martin said. “There wasn’t anything that we could have done to prevent that.”

The XFL, restarted in 2018, is a professional football league that presents opportunities for players who are trying to make an NFL roster. Dungey had a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns practice squad this past season, Thomas played four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Bromley was a third-round pick who played four years for the New York Giants. After many of the former Orange players bounced around practice squads of NFL teams, they landed in the XFL, which began play on Feb. 8. The league said it’s committed to continuing in 2021.

The Tampa Bay Vipers drafted Tiller, the Dragons took Martin, and the DC Defenders drafted Bromley. Thomas was initially signed by the New York Guardians but was soon traded to the Defenders, and Dungey signed with the Dallas Renegades after being released by the Browns.

“I needed a job, man, it’s as simple as that,” Bromley said. “Honestly, I needed a job, and NFL teams weren’t calling for whatever reason, so I wanted the opportunity to continue to play the game that I love and enjoy playing, and the XFL offered that opportunity, so I’m grateful for that.”

Initially, the league continued to hold games despite many states around the country declaring a state of emergency, but when Martin’s teammate tested positive, commissioner Oliver Luck and President Jeffrey Pollack canceled the remainder of the season. Players were told in team meetings to go home and self-quarantine.

In their shortened seasons, Bromley made 15 tackles and a sack in five starts while Thomas recorded 11 tackles in four games. Dungey was second on the depth chart, and Tiller was listed as the second offensive guard on Tampa Bay’s depth chart.  

Martin, who played in all five games and recorded 20 tackles, returned home to Maryland, unsure of what the future would hold. The Dragons and the XFL have been staying in contact with players as states around the country work to contain the coronavirus. The XFL announced all players would receive their base pay and benefits for the season despite it being curtailed by the coronavirus. Players are free to sign with NFL teams — some already have — and for Martin, that will always be the goal.

“I think the goal for anybody is to try to … reach that status of an NFL player,” said Martin. “So, the NFL is always gonna be the goal until, you know, the wheels don’t let me go no more.”

Published on April 3, 2020 at 6:44 pm

Contact Gaurav: gshetty@syr.edu