Ten of the Academy’s participants have now
either received workouts or signed contracts with NFL
franchises
Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (“HOFV” or the
“Company”) (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW), the only resort, entertainment
and media company centered around the power of professional
football, and the NFL Alumni Association are pleased to share an
update on the tremendous success of the inaugural NFL Alumni
Academy (the “Academy”), the first-ever development and training
program for aspiring professional football players. The Academy,
which is based at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at the Hall
of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls in Canton, Ohio, has
now seen 10 of its participants receive workouts or signed NFL
contracts this season after Christian Ringo (New Orleans Saints),
O’Shea Dugas (Cincinnati Bengals), Josiah Coatney (San Francisco
49ers) and R.J. Prince (Baltimore Ravens) were called up this
month.
The six other Academy participants invited to work out for or
signed with NFL teams this season include:
- Evan Adams
- Tavien Feaster
- Stacy Keely
- Trevon McSwain
- Aca’Cedric Ware
- Ethan Westbrooks
Michael Crawford, President and CEO of HOFV, said, “We are
pleased to be in a position to offer a world-class facility to
athletes chosen to attend the Academy, where they can train and
develop their games alongside some of the greatest to ever coach
and play in the NFL. We look forward to the continued success of
this program and the opportunity to expand its recognition across
the U.S. through our partnership with Sports Illustrated Studios
and future sponsorships with leading brands.”
Since September 2020, participants of the Academy have been
working under the tutelage of former NFL personnel and professional
trainers to further develop their games. Participants receive
hands-on coaching from former Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Mike
Tice, Hall of Fame offensive lineman Anthony Munoz, two-time Pro
Bowler Jermon Bushrod and legendary performance coach Chip Smith,
as well as former NFL coaches and players Steve Smith, Jay Hayes,
Chuck Smith, Moe Williams, Jerome Felton, Al Smith and Dean
Dalton.
“All 32 NFL teams have accessed the Academy portal to evaluate
these free agent players,” said Mr. Dalton, Executive Director of
the NFL Alumni Academy, who spent seven seasons coaching offensive
lineman and running backs for the Vikings. “NFL personnel
departments are starting to recommend certain players and, during
these challenging times of COVID protocols, find it a very positive
advantage to request private ‘virtual’ workouts of players at the
Academy. The feedback that we are getting from the personnel
directors within the League has been tremendous as they can
evaluate these invited free agents on video gaining a direct
perspective on the conditioning level and the improved technique
development. They can contact our coaching staff to discuss each
player’s intangible value as well. Our Academy is definitely being
recognized as the ‘go-to’ personnel source for each NFL team’s need
to fill their respective depth charts in-season.”
The goal of the Academy is to prepare its participants for every
aspect of the game of football to ensure they have competitive
advantages that allow them to get to the next level. The Academy
has a tremendous outlet to set these players apart, while keeping
NFL franchises current regarding player progress and
developments.
About the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment
Company
The Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ:
HOFV, HOFVW) is a resort and entertainment company leveraging the
power and popularity of professional football and its legendary
players in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, the Hall of Fame Resort &
Entertainment Company is the owner of the Hall of Fame Village
powered by Johnson Controls, a multi-use sports, entertainment and
media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame's
campus. Additional information on the Company can be found at
www.HOFREco.com.
About the NFL Alumni Association
The NFL Alumni Association is a nationwide group of former
National Football League players, coaches and other employees whose
mission is to serve, assist and inform former players and their
families. The association offers a variety of medical, financial
and social programs to help members lead healthy, productive and
connected lives, as well as community initiatives under the NFL
Alumni’s “Caring for Kids” programs. The NFL Alumni Association
hosts the NFL Alumni Academy Player Development Program each
football season at the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson
Controls in Canton, Ohio.
About the NFL Alumni Academy
The NFL Alumni Academy provides a pathway for the top-graded
players that were released from NFL training camps to return to the
NFL by giving them the opportunity to further develop their skills
and realize their potential by training under the tutelage of elite
former NFL coaches, players and performance coaches. The Tom Benson
Hall of Fame Stadium at the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson
Controls will initially serve as the NFL Alumni Academy’s
headquarters and training facility. The Academy will then move to
the Center for Performance, which will be located on the Village’s
campus and is anticipated to be completed in 2022. The Center for
Performance will feature an 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art
indoor field house and training facility, among other
amenities.
About WaV Sports and Entertainment LLC
WaV Sports & Entertainment is a global sports marketing firm
that specializes in sports property representation, brand side
representation, and the management and production of unique
sporting and entertainment events. WaV exclusively represents,
manages and operates the NFL Alumni Academy and various other NFL
Alumni projects such as their youth educational programming known
as Pro Day Experience. Additional information on the Company can be
found at www.WaVsports.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made herein are “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements may be identified by the use of words and phrases such
as “opportunity,” “future,” “will,” “goal,” and “look forward” and
other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or
trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known
and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important
factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that
could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from
those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important
factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes
include the inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the
business combination; costs related to the business combination;
the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of the Company’s
shares on Nasdaq; the Company’s ability to manage growth; the
Company’s ability to execute its business plan and meet its
projections; potential litigation involving the Company; changes in
applicable laws or regulations; general economic and market
conditions impacting demand for the Company’s products and
services, and in particular economic and market conditions in the
resort and entertainment industry; the potential adverse effects of
the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on capital
markets, general economic conditions, unemployment and the
Company’s liquidity, operations and personnel, as well as those
risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in our reports
and other public filings with the SEC. The Company does not
undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise, except as required by law.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201112005634/en/
Media/Investor Contacts:
For HOFV Media Inquiries Public.Relations@hofreco.com
Investor Inquiries Investor.Relations@hofreco.com
For WaV Brian Klaasmeyer Brian@WaVsports.com
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