American Notes Football

The ill-fated United States Football League last week took two more steps toward oblivion. First, team owners decided to suspend the 1986 U.S.F.L. season after jurors awarded the league a mere $1 in damages in its antitrust suit against the National Football League. Since that left 400 contracted U.S.F.L. players at least temporarily out of work, owners gave them the O.K. to try out for N.F.L. and Canadian teams.

Even before the official announcement from the league, most attention was focused on the status of superstars like Herschel Walker, whose addition to N.F.L. rosters could turn some teams into title contenders. The Generals' owner, Donald Trump, was quick to give well-publicized permission to Walker to begin talks with the Dallas Cowboys. "While I have a legal right to their services, I don't think I have a moral right to stand in the way of their careers," Trump said. With a guaranteed commitment, season or no season, reportedly of $1.5 million to Walker alone, Trump may have more than moral reasons for giving up his players.