[UPDATED] Storm reverse course, turn back to IFL

[David]

UPDATE: 10.5.17 -

Hours after the original posting of this story, CIF Commissioner Ricky Bertz issued a state of the league address late Wednesday evening regarding the Sioux Falls Storm returning to the IFL, as well as the status of the Bloomington Edge, West Michigan Ironmen, and Wichita Falls Nighthawks.

Bertz addressed the moves of the Edge and Ironmen choosing to leave the CIF for the IFL in 2018. According to Bertz, the Edge and Ironmen broke the league's "League Affiliation Agreement" that was signed by both team's ownership groups at league meetings last July. He stated the CIF worked "diligently" to retain both members, but the announcement of 11 committed teams for 2018 indicates they will not continue to pursue retaining the Edge and the Ironmen.

Bertz also addressed the situation regarding the Sioux Falls Storm, who announced earlier on Wednesday that they would return to the IFL. According to Storm owner Todd Tyron, the team's decision to return to the IFL was based on what his perception the CIF was lacking professionalism and infrastructure and called the league a "train wreck."

Bertz paints a different picture as to why the Storm returned to the IFL, contradicting Tyron's claims that those were the driving factors behind the Storm's return to the IFL.

Shortly after the Storm and the Wichita Falls Nighthawks were added to the CIF in September, the CIF, Storm, and Nighthawks all received notification from the IFL about pending litigation over the two teams withdrawal from the IFL. Bertz stated that the league, the Nighthawks, and the Storm were "confident" they followed proper withdrawal procedures. Despite the optimism, the CIF are choosing to avoid disputes with the IFL, declaring they would not schedule either franchise for the 2018 Season.

With the Storm declaring they would return to the IFL, the status of the Nighthawks appear to be up in the air. The Nighthawks initially joined the CIF because of lower operating and travel costs. It's unknown as to whether or not the Nighthawks will return to the IFL, relocate to another market, or go dark for the upcoming season.

You can read Bertz's full statement below:

The Champions Indoor Football league is excited and looking forward to another great season while we continue to strive to make a positive impact in all our communities, foster the support of each and every team and community we serve, and build on the momentum we have been working on as we are on the verge of entering our 4th season.

The CIF would like to update our fans, sponsors, and the media about some recent changes. Two teams, the Bloomington Edge and West Michigan Ironmen, have decided to not return to the CIF this year. The CIF worked diligently to try to retain these two members, and these moves come despite the persistent hard work and good faith efforts by the Board of Directors of the CIF, and in spite of legally binding League Affiliation Agreements (LAA) being signed by both team’s owners. These LAAs were signed prior to the league meetings held in Wichita in July, in which both Bloomington and West Michigan participated. These commitments are taken seriously by all member teams as they are the basis and foundation for all playing partners in determining their own business decisions, and the viability of their respective teams, as well as having legal and contractual obligations.

Recently the CIF also made the announcement that both Wichita Falls and Sioux Falls would be joining the CIF. A few weeks after those announcements, Wichita Falls, Sioux Falls, and the CIF received notification from the IFL that they were disputing the legal withdrawal of both franchises from their signed league agreements, and subsequently threatened to sue both teams and the CIF. While both teams and the CIF were confident that they had followed the proper procedures to withdraw, the CIF feels it is in the best interest of all parties to avoid disputes between leagues, and to avoid protracted litigation which creates uncertainty about which teams are playing where. The CIF regrettably was unable to schedule Wichita Falls or Sioux Falls for the 2018 season. These are both wonderful markets for indoor football, with lots of football tradition, and we the league hope that they, their fans, and their sponsors can sustain their momentum in the future which will allow them to succeed amid all this uncertainty.

While there is still much to be done before the 2018 season kicks off, the Champions Indoor Football league is excited for our fourth, and best, season yet! We have 11 strong teams that will be listed on the schedule set to be released in the next few days. We would like to thank our fans, sponsors, players, coaches, and partners for allowing us the opportunity to bring this amazing sport to our local communities and will strive to keep everyone updated of any changes.

ORIGINAL STORY:

10.4.17 -

After initially announcing its intent to join Champions Indoor Football, the Sioux Falls Storm are reversing course and staying in the Indoor Football League for the 2018 Season.

On Tuesday night, the second evening of the IFL's two day meeting period in Las Vegas, reports floated around various Indoor Football group pages on Facebook that the Storm were re-joining the IFL. This was further fueled by evidence on the Storm's home page, which featured the Storm logo along with the other 7 franchises in the IFL. In September, the Storm's page showed their logo among the other 12 franchises in the CIF.

On Wednesday, owner Todd Tyron confirmed the team's move back to the IFL by posting the following letter on the Storm's official website:



The letter paints a drastically different tone from the Storm regarding the IFL. When the team announced it was moving to the CIF on August 30th, Tyron stated it was "a league that offers a little more security."

After the move, the Storm's view of the CIF apparently soured over the next month. In an interview with KWSN radio's Craig Mattick and John Gaskins, Tryon stated the CIF stint was a "train wreck," and cited the league's lack of professionalism and infrastructure.

The Storm have been a staple of the IFL since the league's creation in 2009, resulting out the merger between United Indoor Football and the Intense Football League. After the conclusion of the 2017 IFL Season, the league appeared to be in a state of flux as the Spokane Empire announced they would cease operations in 2018 and the quiet foldings of Project FANchise's Salt Lake Screaming Eagles and Colorado Crush. With the league dwindling down to five teams and facing an uncertain future, the Storm joined the CIF as a way to secure its future for 2018.

Since then, the IFL expanded to seven with the additions of the Bloomington Edge and West Michigan Ironmen from the CIF. With the Storm's return, the IFL now sits at 8 franchises.

Left to an uncertain fate is the Wichita Falls Nighthawks, who announced they would move to the CIF on September 12th. Jim Roberts of the Indoor Football Forum has stated the Nighthawks are facing a situation where they have to play in the IFL or "go dark," but any official word of that remains to be seen.

- DKH


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[spiderfan]

Glad the Storm are back. Here's the link to the radio interview kwsn.com/podcasts/sports-talk-with-kwsn/5093/todd-tryon-on-why-storm-left-cif-to-go-back-to-ifl/

[DiamondThief]

Wonderful move. This says volumes about how the CIF is run. Todd Tyron's comments also show how adaptable the IFL is. We are familiar with the way the AFL is run, so no use going into that. I think this also lends credence to the moves of the Edge and Ironmen.

I just checked out the KWSN interview with Todd Tyron. It makes sense.

Wichita Falls, you're next.

[afrats]

What this doesn't speak to is the lawsuit that I think had more affect in the move back than anything.

[David]

Oct 5, 2017 5:55:38 GMT -8 afrats said:

What this doesn't speak to is the lawsuit that I think had more affect in the move back than anything.

I read that this morning (wasn't available yesterday afternoon when originally reported). I think an update is in order to add this information. 

[Nevadanut]

Oct 5, 2017 5:55:38 GMT -8 afrats said:

What this doesn't speak to is the lawsuit that I think had more affect in the move back than anything.

I just saw that after tweeting from the SCtoC account and seeing their response to my tweet from last night. If the Storm (and maybe Nighthawks) don't utilize the $150,000 credit line, then I wonder if the CIF will really have the resources to go ahead with a law suit.

I hate to do this, but ... Kasey?

[DiamondThief]

Oct 5, 2017 14:09:43 GMT -8 Nevadanut said:

Given the statement, the CIF might just cut its losses and move on with what they have. That said, they may try to fight to keep the Nighthawks as much as they can.

Oct 5, 2017 14:09:43 GMT -8 Nevadanut said:

She knows she is going to be asked the legal questions around here!

[Kasey]

This could be posturing by one or both leagues. Without knowing the exact contents of the contractual agreements, it's impossible to make any real determination, especially when it comes to business law. That's essentially what this. A business contract. Angi's statement above could be the key. Rather than drag things out, the CIF could just move forward. It may be considered a slap in the face, but they would still have enough teams to move forward. The IFL seems to have done a pretty good job of making itself more attractive. I would think that if Wichita Falls returns, the IFL could look more attractive to potential expansion teams.

[spiderfan]

Here is what Jim Roberts of Indoor Football Forum posted on the matter:

SUMMARY OF EVENTS WITH THE IFL & CIF FOLLOWING A FAILED MERGER ATTEMPT AFTER THE 2017 INDOOR FOOTBALL SEASON:
After the 2017 indoor football season ended, merger talks between the Indoor Football League (IFL) and Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league began. No agreements were reached, although it was very close. The Sioux Falls Storm (SF) and Wichita Falls Nighthawks (WF) left the IFL and joined the CIF not long after merger talks broke down for the final time.

The Arizona Rattlers (ARI) of the IFL were then rumored to have offered paid travel expenses as well as $50k-$75k on top of that to any CIF team that would jump to the IFL for the 2018 season since the IFL only had 5 teams left at that point. All CIF teams signed legally binding League Affiliation Agreement's (LAA) after the prior season ended though. Despite that, the Bloomington Edge (BLO) and West Michigan Ironmen (WM) both left the CIF and joined the IFL. An anonymous source says BLO and WM accepted $100k to join the IFL. The CIF is moving forward with lawsuits against BLO, WM, the IFL, and ARI.

In retaliation for the CIF lawsuits against BLO and WM the IFL threatened to sue SF and WF for not exiting their league properly, despite no LAA's being signed by SF or WF with the IFL. WF did sign an LAA with the CIF, but SF didn't (despite holding a press conference announcing they were joining the CIF). The IFL's lawsuit threat against SF and WF was likely a bluff, but the CIF was worried about an injunction being filed days before the season started to stop both from playing and throwing the league schedule into chaos. Regardless, the CIF promised to stick with SF and WF if they indemnified the CIF against any legal damage resulting from the IFL lawsuit. They got no response so they asked both to put up an additional Letter Of Credit (LOC) to protect against possible damages. Both teams declined to do that, even though the CIF wouldn't have used the LOC's if the lawsuit was proven baseless or dropped.

At the same time, the IFL offered the CIF a two for two trade. The IFL would drop the threat of lawsuits against SF and WF if the CIF dropped their lawsuits against BLO and WM. The CIF declined that offer.
SF decided to rejoin the IFL this week. WF still wants to play in 2018, but the CIF isn't an option now (unless they put up an additional LOC in case of damages from a potential lawsuit) and the reason they left the IFL was they could no longer afford the high travel costs.

In addition to all the league maneuvering, the topic of roster restrictions on SF and WF was brought up. Both SF and WF were told upon applying to the CIF that there would be Parity Protections they would be forced to accept since they were coming from a higher level of play. Those Parity Protections were as follows: they could retain 8 players from their final roster last season, no limit on how many years of experience those players could have (initially it was 3 years experience, but that was quickly removed after discussion). In addition to those 8 players they were allowed to sign 4 more players from any IFL roster to bring to camp. Once camp ended they had to cut back to 8 players from those 12 (if any of those 8 players were injured they could replace them with any player they chose including any with previous IFL experience). Any players from CIF rosters this past season were off limits for the 2018 season only. All additional players added to their rosters for the 2018 season must have been rookies (NAL, AAL, and other leagues below the IFL/CIF were considered rookies). Once the 2018 season was completed, all Parity Protection roster restrictions would be lifted and they would operate under the same rules as all other CIF teams.

[Kasey]

We've heard of the merger talks. In speaking with Angi and seeing some of the other moves, it didn't seem like much of those talks would lead to anything solid. My best guess is that each year, the leagues could have such talks which could get closer year-by-year. Maybe in a few years something could be worked out, but these legal actions will complicate matters.

The Storm cite their return to the IFL as a response to seeing first hand the management (or lack there of) of the CIF. The Storm could also have been spooked by the IFL's action. The Nighthawks are in a precarious position. If I had to predict, I would say that the Nighthawks return to the IFL. I don't see them playing in the CIF.

I can't speak to whether the Rattlers' supplementing the Edge and Ironmen when it comes to travel and other expenses. I presume it would not violate any league rules. Certainly, if that's the case, that would make things more attractive to those teams in joining the IFL. Personally, I would not be a fan of that from a business standpoint, but I get from where the Rattlers are coming. The bottom line is that it seems like this is the type of thing which could help solidify the league if the league, provided those teams stay in the IFL.

From what I am reading, it doesn't seem that the Edge nor Ironmen will return to the CIF. I believe the Storm are in the IFL to stay. Again, the wild card is the Nighthawks. I agree that the IFL lawsuit was likely a bluff. Actually more so, it was more of a threat. Now that the Storm are back, the IFL will be satisfied to not go after the Nighthawks for leaving the league. Obviously, if they make the return to the IFL, such action would be dropped by the league. In short, any IFL litigation would be dependent upon the Nighthawks actually joining the CIF. The Nighthawks may have hampered any move they could have made should they not return to the IFL. The CIF lawsuit is curious. Every indication is that the Edge and Ironmen (along with the other teams in the CIF) were legally committed to the CIF. Here's where this becomes cloudy.

I am constantly asked for my thoughts on legal issues. I was just notified that I passed the Oregon Bar exam three weeks ago. I have never tried a case nor have even taken a case. I have spent the better part of three years working on a resolution to the accident with the company which caused an accident resulting in my brother's death in December 2014. At this point, I can only relay generalities as I see them based on legal statutes and case laws which are out there. The problem is, in what jurisdictions are these lawsuits being filed? Nebraska, the home of the IFL? Texas, the home of the CIF? Is it a federal court located in or near one of the leagues' home states? That is my very first question. And, at this point, I cannot tell which it is (though I'm confident it is one of the three), however, my guess is that it is in federal court. At least, that would be the most accurate.

The only way to gauge the potential success of the CIF's lawsuit would require reviewing a copies of the League Affiliate Agreements between the CIF with the Edge and Ironmen. Without knowing the exact legal language, I simply cannot supply a specific legal opinion. I can suppose a couple of things though. The primary issue is whether an individual team has an escape clause in the contract. If so, if could involve a cost to leave. That's really the only prevalent issue. The CIF probably cannot use a lawsuit to bring the two teams back into their league. The part about the CIF's lawsuit naming the IFL and/or the Rattlers is probably irrelevant. The IFL provided an option for the teams and the Rattlers helped make the moves possible. The CIF really has no say in that, as I'm very sure that it has no legal connections or agreements with the IFL nor the Rattlers. In my opinion, those portions will easily be dismissed.

That leaves the CIF suing two former teams. Depending upon the language in those LAAs, I cannot say how that will pan out, nor how long it will take. I can say that it likely will take quite a while; more likely than not that it will happen during or even after the 2018 season. At that point, it would seem irrelevant. Regardless, I would be surprised if there ever is any testimony in a courtroom. It will probably come down to a settlement or a determination from an independent arbitrator.

The only other thing I can mention here is that in a different court, that of public opinion. The CIF is between a rock and a hard place. They have to defend their brand. But, on the other hand, going after other teams, leagues, and other teams in other leagues legally could be a huge detriment when it comes to drawing in expansion teams in the future. They could really be shooting themselves in the feet if they pursue this with any real vigor.

Again, I cannot tell you all much without knowing specifics of the contracts and other agreements. I hope I've helped at least a little.

[DiamondThief]

I understand your legal hands are tied Or more accurately your words are tied. As I literally sit typing in a room no more than 20 feet from yours, I would have hoped for more. I am not trying to slam my oldest sister, but I want more information. Ksaey, can you please follow up when we find more. I just really feel this is unfortunate.

[spiderfan]

Oct 11, 2017 18:26:45 GMT -8 DiamondThief said:

 As I literally sit typing in a room no more than 20 feet from yours

After you said that this popped into mind:




Is that weird?

[DiamondThief]

Oct 11, 2017 20:02:53 GMT -8 spiderfan said:

Oct 11, 2017 18:26:45 GMT -8 DiamondThief said:

 As I literally sit typing in a room no more than 20 feet from yours

After you said that this popped into mind:




Is that weird?

If I have learned one thing more than any other in my nearly 21 years, Do NOT question my oldest sister! She is literally the smartest person I know or I will likely ever meet!