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(Canton, Ohio) - It was determined during a Wednesday afternoon conference call with Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) Commissioner Jeff Spitaleri and the owners of the six teams in the league that the Marion Mayhem will cease operations immediately, ending the team's 2010 season. "This was a unanimous decision by all of our member teams," said Spitaleri. "Other options were considered and rejected by the teams. Everyone felt that the best decision, unfortunately, was to have the Mayhem cease operations." The decision was based on the economic state of the team and the continuing hurdles and circumstances that would need to be addressed immediately to successfully move forward. The primary hurdle was financial. The Mayhem needed to raise several thousand dollars in a short timeframe to continue playing at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Marion, Ohio. "It's an unfortunate situation and we never want to see a team not finish their schedule," said Spitaleri, "but the economic climate surrounding all teams in indoor football right now played a major role in this decision." The Fort Wayne Firehawks, Wisconsin Wolfpack and Miami Valley Silverbacks will each be awarded wins for their remaining games against Marion. Fort Wayne will be awarded two wins, while Wisconsin and Miami Valley will each receive one win. The Mayhem were founded in 2006 as members of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL), the predecessor to the CIFL. The team had a 30-25 all-time record and had their best season in 2009 when they went 9-4 and finished in first place in the East Division of the CIFL. "We are thankful for the support of the people of Marion and everyone involved with the Marion County Fairgrounds," said Spitaleri. "We enjoyed bringing professional indoor football to Marion and hope that we can bring it back to the city when the economy improves." The CIFL regular season will conclude on June 5 and the CIFL playoffs will continue as scheduled on the weekend of June 18 with the championship game being played on June 26. |
