NFL to Partner With XFL on Football Research, Data Sharing
Leagues will cooperate on issues of player safety, equipment and rules as the upstart XFL stops pitting itself as a competitor
DeMarquis Gates of the Houston Roughnecks tries to stop the run by Cameron Artis-Payne of the Dallas Renegades during an XFL football game on March 1, 2020.
Photographer: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
The XFL will link up with the National Football League on programs involving fitness, health and safety, equipment development, playing surfaces and data sharing as the league prepares to relaunch under new ownership next year.
The partnership set to be announced Monday is a sign that the XFL’s owners will work with the NFL, rather than pit itself against it. Under previous management, the XFL failed twice as it tried to compete head-on with the top football league.