Former Pittsburgh Steelers Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu are part of the new Alliance of American Football.
Related: Pittsburgh Steelers season schedule
Television and film producer Charlie Ebersol will serve as co-founder and CEO of the league, which will debut on Feb. 9, 2019, the week after the NFL's Super Bowl. Bill Polian, a former NFL general manager and current analyst for ESPN, is also a co-founder of the nascent league.
"The Alliance of American Football represents a fundamental shift in the way we approach professional sports," said Ebersol. "We believe fans and players are what's most important, so our approach is simple -- we've created an alliance where fans and players share in the success of their teams."
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Polamalu will oversee the player side of the league. Ward will serve as an adviser, along with Dick Ebersol and former NFL player Justin Tuck.
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Some differences between the new league and the NFL:
- Kickoffs are eliminated, allowing the offense to start on the 25 yard line.
- In place of the onside kick, the trailing team will receive the ball on its own 35 yard line, facing fourth down and 10.
- A shorter play clock is instituted with fewer commercial breaks in the interest of shortening the game's total time.
- Extra point is eliminated, requiring two-point conversions after every touchdown.
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