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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is now the owner of the XFL.
Johnson and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital bought the decommissioned football league for $15 million, hours before it was set to be auctioned. The deal was first reported by Sportico.
“With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL and look forward to creating something specials for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football,” Johnson told ESPN.
Johnson, an actor and professional wrestler, played college football at the University of Miami before playing a short time in the Canadian Football League.
RedBird Capital is a private investment firm that focuses on sports-related business — famed Oakland Athletics executive Billy Beane is also an investor.
See also: The NBA is back — here’s what U.S. sports leagues are doing amid the pandemic
After signing a major broadcast deal with ESPN DIS, -0.23% and Fox FOX, +1.55% , the XFL was forced to cancel the remainder of its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Teams only played five games before the league suspended play.
The XFL filed for bankruptcy on April 11, shortly after laying off most of their employees.
