CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The XFL suspended its operations Friday after the league had planned to lay off nearly all of its staff minus a handful of executives.
The announcement came less than a month after the league canceled its season in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The organization previously vowed it would return for another season in 2021, but all indications so far point to the end of the XFL’s reboot.
Through five games played, St. Louis BattleHawks left guard Bruno Reagan certainly made the most of his opportunity with the XFL.
The former Clarksville High star athlete helped bolster an offensive line responsible for the No. 2 rushing attack in the league this season, averaging 155.8 yards a game on the ground.
Reagan was equally as impressive at protecting the quarterback, allowing just three quarterback pressures on 368 snaps played.
XFLboard.com recognized Reagan’s play on the field and named him to their 2020 All-XFL team.
Reagan says he was immediately caught off guard when he first heard the news that the XFL was shutting its doors yet again.
“This one actually took me by surprise at first,” Reagan said. “I saw it coming when we shut down operations, but I was pretty sure that they were going to try to go into 2021. However, after I thought about it a little bit more with the NFL and college football maybe having their next season go into the spring it made sense.”
Before the cancellation of the regular season, the BattleHawks were 3-2 and tied for first place in the XFL’s East division. Record aside, St. Louis was among the most popular teams in the league in terms of ticket sales, attendance and merchandise.
“The bottom line is St. Louis is a football town and they deserve to have a team,” Reagan said. “It was absolutely insane. We got treated better than some NFL players do and that is not an exaggeration. Those guys gave me the most fun time of my life. The fans there deserve football and I hope they get it back someday.”
Reagan relived the team’s 2020 home opener, as fans flocked to the stadium to witness professional football in their city for the first time in five years.
“I’ve played all across the SEC and it’s rare to see pro teams with that kind of passion, but they took us in as if we were their own forever,” Reagan said. “It was wild. We definitely fed off their energy. I’m pretty sure if we played the rest of the season, no one was going to beat us at home.”
One of the more intriguing things about watching an XFL game live on television was the sideline interviews that were conducted featuring players and coaches. BattleHawks head coach Jonathan Hayes flourished in that role in what came as no surprise to Reagan.
“He was a big player’s coach I’d say,” Reagan said. “We all loved him and he was always trying to take care of us when he could, but when we were at practices, scrimmages or camp he was always pushing us. Then later he’d love on us big too. It was a good dynamic to see that from a professional coach and I think that’s one reason why we were able to have the success that we did.”
So far during the NFL offseason, numerous XFL players have reached agreements with teams including the quarterback Reagan helped block for in former Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. With everything going on surrounding COVID-19, working out in front of an NFL team is nearly impossible right now, but Reagan remains optimistic about his chances of playing at the next level.
“I’ve had contact with teams, but at this point I’m just trying to control what I can control,” Reagan said. “If something happens then great, if not then I’m going to have to reevaluate where I’m at here in the summer. That’s the nature of the beast and that’s just what it is. I’ll be ready if my opportunity comes and if not, I can at least say I gave it all I got.”
On April 7, Vanderbilt football head coach Derek Mason took to Twitter and offered a strong endorsement of his former offensive lineman.
“That meant a little more to me than what might meet the eye,” Reagan said. “I don’t mind telling people that during my first few years at Vanderbilt, Coach Mason didn’t really have a high opinion of me. During my early years in college, I was really regretting not going the wrestling or judo route. I was just raw at football and felt like I needed to hit the reset button on my career. Eventually, I bought into Coach Mason and to see where our relationship ended up in the end just means a lot. It’s a little hard to put into words.”
There is much that Reagan will take away from his XFL experience, but none more important than the bonds he built with his teammates.
“I guess just being in the locker room with those guys,” Reagan said. “We were able to get close really quick. In pro football people change out all the time, but our O-line was consistent from minicamp throughout the whole season. I got to know those guys for close to half a year and spent nearly all day everyday with them. I’m definitely going to miss them the most. They were all talented, but most importantly just great dudes. It was a blessing to be around them.”
At the moment, Reagan’s undivided attention is directed at the game of football.
“While I’m chasing the whole NFL thing, I want to avoid trying to do too much outside of that,” Reagan said. “I want teams to know that I’m serious about this, so I’m training and working out all the time. If I really do have that much time then I record an episode or something, but for the most part I’m staying pretty busy. I’m focusing on injury management, focusing on nutrition and focusing on training. The quarantine hasn’t really gotten to me too much compared to most people.”
Reagan is very appreciative of his time spent in St. Louis and is now looking forward to a fresh start wherever and whenever that may be.
“The XFL was 100 percent a top tier organization,” Reagan said. “They took care of us as much as they could all the time. The BattleHawks gave me a shot just like Coach Mason gave me a shot. They said, “Listen, you’re going to have a clean slate starting now and whatever you put on tape is what we’re going to evaluate you off of. Not arm length, hand size, how tall I am or 40 time.” I went from the third string center to starting center within two weeks and eventually moved to starting guard. I just want to thank those two organizations for the opportunity because they let me chase my dream of pro football and I knew I could do it.”