XFL ends season early due to coronavirus

The XFL announced late Thursday it will not finish its inaugural season, joining other sports leagues in suspending games as the coronavirus hits the United States.

In a statement, the league said it would not currently be playing its regular season games, but that all players would be paid their base pay and benefits for the 2020 season.

It also said it was committed to playing a full season in 2021 and beyond.

XFL statementhttps://t.co/MbuHgUmzmZ pic.twitter.com/PIZLOl1fld

— XFL (@xfl2020) March 12, 2020

A fan account had some fun with the announcement on Twitter.

“If you numbnuts want to crack jokes, go ahead,” the XFL fan account said. “We can take it and everyone can use a good laugh now. We will be f—ing back.”

We will not be finishing the season.

We are not going away. We are not folding. This is to protect the public health.

If you numbnuts want to crack jokes, go ahead. We can take it and everyone can use a good laugh now.

We will be fucking back. #XFL pic.twitter.com/1mapZWYxpH

— XFL (@realXFLfootball) March 13, 2020

The XFL’s announcement comes after almost all major sports leagues in the U.S. have decided to suspend play in their respective leagues, including the NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.

The NCAA announced on Thursday its men’s and women’s tournaments known as “March Madness” would also be canceled.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified a fan account as the XFL’s official account.