Event Date: August 2nd, 1985
Event Description: U.S.F.L. Protects Players
Source: United Press International
U.S. Football League teams Saturday protected 330 players by placing them on off-season rosters designed to retain players during the league's 18-month layoff.
Each franchise, except those facing the prospect of a merger, placed a minimum of 35 players on its protection list.
The Denver Gold, Los Angeles Express and Oakland Invaders, all possible merger candidates, protected 15 players each.
The three-year-old spring football league ended operations after its championship game last month and will attempt to resume play in direct competition with the National Football League in the fall of 1986.
The New Jersey Generals and the Houston Gamblers protected a combined total of 37 players.
The San Antonio Gunslingers and Portland Breakers, clubs which waived their entire rosters due to delinquent salary payments, and Chicago, which did not stock a roster for its 1986 season, were not part of the proceedings.
Any player not protected is a free agent and can sign with the NFL.
An agreement between the league and the players calls for all protected players to receive $10,000 in five monthly installments from March through July 1986. However, a player has the right to request 30 percent of his 1986 base salary, with payment to start March 1.
Club management, which has 48 hours to consider the request, is required to waive the player if an agreement cannot be reached.
Some of the more prominent players protected Saturday include quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Jim Kelly of the New Jersey-Houston team; running back Kelvin Bryant of Baltimore; and wide receiver Anthony Carter of Oakland.
more to come.....
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