Friday, May 11, 2001 | 10:23 a.m.
Even though Joseph Tuiapala has signed a two-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he said he was crushed when he learned the XFL had folded due to financial losses on Thursday.
Tuiapala, a 6-4 linebacker out of San Diego State, played for the Las Vegas Outlaws, one of eight teams that comprised the first-year league.
"I'm shocked, definitely," Tuiapala said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I enjoyed playing in the league.
"It helped me to get an opportunity to play here in the NFL again. That's why I'm here in Jacksonville. Honestly, I was hoping not to have to go back to it (so that I could return to the NFL), but if I did, I would definitely be back in Las Vegas because I had a lot of fun."
The Outlaws tied the New York/New Jersey Hitmen for the second-worst record in the league at 4-6 and received a mixed reception from the community.
Those who crucified the league for everything from mediocre football to the attention given to the scantily clad cheerleaders stayed clear of the Outlaws in person or on television. Those who embraced the league showed their support by attending games at Sam Boyd Stadium or watching them on TV.
Although attendance at Outlaws games tailed off toward the end of the season it was strong early. That surprised many skeptics, given Las Vegas' history as a poor minor league sports town.
The average attendance for the five Outlaws games at Sam Boyd Stadium was 22,619.
Pete Torsiello, general manager of Front Row Sports, said Outlaws merchandise flew off the shelves in January, February and March.
"It made our months," he said. "We sold thousands of thousands of hats, tons of T-shirts, jackets and jerseys.
"I'm disappointed it won't be back. It was an awesome experience in the stadium. The fans in the stadium were very supportive."
Torsiello said he has plenty of Outlaws merchandise left, but it won't be going on the clearance rack any time soon.
"Overall, the Outlaws were a big success in Las Vegas," he said.
The Outlaws had a two-year deal at Sam Boyd Stadium with a two-year option to renew. Stadium director Pat Christenson said there is a penalty clause the league must pay for breaking the contract.
"We generated significant revenue with the Outlaws so it's disappointing to see them fold," Christenson said. "I think they made a great effort to put a crowd friendly product together.
"We've had nine or 10 minor league sports teams in the 17 years I've been here and I've never seen a team grab the excitement of the city that quickly."
The decision to pull the plug on the league also was made made quickly and with no warning.
Outlaws director of communications Trey Fitz-Gerald said the staff was already starting to prepare for its second season and that the XFL's coaches on Thursday were wrapping up a three-day meeting on how to improve competition next year.
All of the league's head coaches and player personnel staff were notified minutes before a conference call was held.
"I was notified about 3:10 p.m.," Fitz-Gerald said. "The conference call was at 3:30 p.m.
"I think everybody is pretty numb right now. We won't find out until Monday or Tuesday what kind of severance package we'll receive. I mean, a lot of people relocated for this job, for this opportunity."
Fitz-Gerald was one of them.
"It was what I thought was best for my family. Now I don't know what my future holds," he said.
Outlaws safety Brandon Sanders, who joined Tuiapala as one of a league-leading seven Outlaws who were named to the All-League first team, opted out of his contract just two weeks ago in hopes of making an NFL roster.
He read the news about the XFL on his two-way pager.
"I'm kind of stunned," he said. "I thought they might be able to pull out another year."
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