- Actor pays $15m for league billed as spring rival to NFL
- Johnson was a college football star at University of Miami
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s is set to add the title of professional sports league owner to his entertainment résumé.
The former WWE star turned actor has agreed to purchase the XFL for approximately $15m, alongside his ex-wife Dany Garcia and private investment firm RedBird Capital Partners. The professional American football league, which was conceived as a spring competitor to the NFL, filed for bankruptcy in April as the Covid-19 pandemic hit its finances. The league, the brainchild of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, was in its second iteration and teams had only played a few games before the competition was shut down, leaving players and coaches out of work.
Related: XFL files for bankruptcy halfway through return season amid pandemic
