Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had many doubters when he decided to buy the XFL alongside his longtime business partner Danny Garcia and RedBird Capital a few years ago after Vince McMahon shut it down after a second attempt at a spring pro football league.
The new owners have revamped what McMahon had come up with. The Rock is looking to get the most out of the third chance at the league because he wants to give players a second chance.
The Rock played as a defensive end/tackle at the University of Miami but didn’t make it to the NFL. Instead, he went to the CFL before he decided he had enough and got into wrestling.
The Reason
While speaking to ESPN, The Rock was asked why he decided to buy the XFL with his investment partners.
“It was an ability to create a league that I wish I had when I was around. I was a good player. I had great, what Coach Ed Orgeron used to say, I had ‘great upper body violence.’ Which is a compliment,” The Rock stated.” The allure of this was my longtime business partner Dani Garcia, she says, ‘I have this crazy idea, let’s go buy the XFL, and immediately it was the easiest ‘yes’ I ever said because we both knew we had an opportunity to not only be owners of a league, but to be a part of the sport that we love, but also create a culture of second chances for guys like me.”
The Rock noted that he told that story to NFL commissioner Roger Goodwell.
