Post by Banana Cat on Oct 12, 2012 12:20:52 GMT -5
www.themonitor.com/sports/article_75403504-13f1-11e2-ad3c-0019bb30f31a.html
Anderson, Toros look to give indoor football fresh start
Gabe Hernandez | gabrielh@themonitor.com
October 11, 2012
McALLEN — When Schuyler Anderson on Thursday announced the formation of the McAllen Toros, he repeatedly stressed the new franchise in the Lone Star Football League has no affiliation with the Rio Grande Valley Magic or former owner Chad Dittman.
Based on what he said after the announcement, that’s with good reason.
“There were a lot of burned bridges there, things that wasn’t done right. The community probably knows some of those things that weren’t done right,” Anderson said. “We want to separate ourselves and let the community know football is here and there is no association there because a lot of people don’t want to deal with bad blood there. We want to start things off right from there.”
Anderson said Dittman owes him and a lot of people, including Magic players, money for the 2012 season and that some of them are considering litigation. Humberto Cerda, a Magic defensive back who’s joining the Toros, was at the news conference Thursday and said they were “pretty much playing for free,” though he is not one of the players who might sue.
Anderson — who’s the head coach, general manager and one of five part-owners of the Toros — also was critical of how the Magic approached marketing the team in the community, along with communications with players and the staff.
Needless to say, Anderson’s two years working for the Magic were a learning experience and he hopes to apply some of the hard lessons to running the new franchise.
“Basically, you’ve just got to do things right,” Anderson said. “You can’t burn bridges. This is a business and people who are going to invest into the team want to see football there and they want things done right.”
The Magic needed to be replaced after Dittman’s license to run a team was revoked in September by the LSFL. In a news release dated Sept. 27, the league revoked Dittman’s membership due to “multiple infractions of our By-Laws, Operations Manual and Rules.”
“We regret having to take this action but these infractions have caused serious damage to the Lone Star Football League, the other teams, fans, sponsors and even the coaches and players,” LSFL commissioner Darlene Jones said in the statement.
According to the same statement, the LSFL unsuccessfully tried to contact Dittman via email and phone “numerous occasions” since the end of the season in July.
A mobile phone number known to be Dittman’s was disconnected. A message left with the Corpus Christi Hammerheads, another team Dittman owned in the LSFL, was not returned.
Considering all of that, it’s easy to see why Anderson and the Toros wanted to disassociate themselves from the Magic.
That’s also why Anderson, fellow owners Jeremiah Flores, Jose Medina and two silent partners, wanted to announce the team without having a home venue in place, as they are in talks with both the McAllen Convention Center and State Farm Arena.
They hope, Anderson said, to have their home field for their seven home games confirmed in the next three weeks.
“Basically we want to kick it off and get it out there a new team is going to be here, part of the Lone Star Football (League),” Anderson said. “Go ahead and get that support early on. We have about five months to start getting the team out there — the name, and that way everyone knows a team is here in the Valley.”
Gabe Hernandez | gabrielh@themonitor.com
October 11, 2012
McALLEN — When Schuyler Anderson on Thursday announced the formation of the McAllen Toros, he repeatedly stressed the new franchise in the Lone Star Football League has no affiliation with the Rio Grande Valley Magic or former owner Chad Dittman.
Based on what he said after the announcement, that’s with good reason.
“There were a lot of burned bridges there, things that wasn’t done right. The community probably knows some of those things that weren’t done right,” Anderson said. “We want to separate ourselves and let the community know football is here and there is no association there because a lot of people don’t want to deal with bad blood there. We want to start things off right from there.”
Anderson said Dittman owes him and a lot of people, including Magic players, money for the 2012 season and that some of them are considering litigation. Humberto Cerda, a Magic defensive back who’s joining the Toros, was at the news conference Thursday and said they were “pretty much playing for free,” though he is not one of the players who might sue.
Anderson — who’s the head coach, general manager and one of five part-owners of the Toros — also was critical of how the Magic approached marketing the team in the community, along with communications with players and the staff.
Needless to say, Anderson’s two years working for the Magic were a learning experience and he hopes to apply some of the hard lessons to running the new franchise.
“Basically, you’ve just got to do things right,” Anderson said. “You can’t burn bridges. This is a business and people who are going to invest into the team want to see football there and they want things done right.”
The Magic needed to be replaced after Dittman’s license to run a team was revoked in September by the LSFL. In a news release dated Sept. 27, the league revoked Dittman’s membership due to “multiple infractions of our By-Laws, Operations Manual and Rules.”
“We regret having to take this action but these infractions have caused serious damage to the Lone Star Football League, the other teams, fans, sponsors and even the coaches and players,” LSFL commissioner Darlene Jones said in the statement.
According to the same statement, the LSFL unsuccessfully tried to contact Dittman via email and phone “numerous occasions” since the end of the season in July.
A mobile phone number known to be Dittman’s was disconnected. A message left with the Corpus Christi Hammerheads, another team Dittman owned in the LSFL, was not returned.
Considering all of that, it’s easy to see why Anderson and the Toros wanted to disassociate themselves from the Magic.
That’s also why Anderson, fellow owners Jeremiah Flores, Jose Medina and two silent partners, wanted to announce the team without having a home venue in place, as they are in talks with both the McAllen Convention Center and State Farm Arena.
They hope, Anderson said, to have their home field for their seven home games confirmed in the next three weeks.
“Basically we want to kick it off and get it out there a new team is going to be here, part of the Lone Star Football (League),” Anderson said. “Go ahead and get that support early on. We have about five months to start getting the team out there — the name, and that way everyone knows a team is here in the Valley.”