L.A. Avengers protect 16 from AFL's expansion draft
September 16, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Avengers have protected 16 of their players in preparation for the Arena Football League's 2005 Expansion Draft, head coach Ed Hodgkiss announced today.
The draft on Wednesday, Sept. 29, will assist the Nashville Kats in building their 2005 roster. The Kats, who are returning to the AFL under the ownership of Bud Adams (Tennessee Titans) after sitting out the last three seasons, may choose from a pool of unprotected players. Each existing team is allowed to protect 16 players whose rights it controls. All other players whose rights are controlled by a team are eligible to be selected.
"It's always really tough to go through this process," said Hodgkiss, who has led the Avengers to the playoffs in each of his three years at the helm. "You have to make your decisions based on who you think a team might not select because of salary concerns, age or other issues. This year, due to a new rule, we had to protect the guys on the exempt list, which meant we had an even greater number of guys to decide among. Hopefully we won't lose anybody. We want all our guys back."
The 16 players protected by the Avenges are: wide receiver/defensive backs Kevin Ingram and Brian Sump; wide receiver/linebackers Greg Hopkins and Jerome Riley; fullback/linebackers Lonnie Ford and Josh Jeffries; defensive specialists Damen Wheeler and Antuan Simmons; offensive/defensive linemen Al Lucas, Ken Kocher, Johnathan Taylor, Sean McNamara, Silas Demary and Arnold Miller; and two players who were on L.A.'s exempt list and recently released by NFL teams - OL/DL Luis Almanzar (Denver Broncos) and WR/DB Sean Morey (Philadelphia Eagles).
That leaves eight Avengers unprotected and eligible to be selected by Nashville. Three of the players - WR/DB Russell Shaw and OL/DLs Chris Butterfield and Carlos Fowler - have been with the Avengers for the past four seasons. The other five are: FB/LB Kevin Clemens, quarterback Brian Mann, FB/LB Wes Ours, WR/LB Scott Thomas and DS Reggie Stephens. Fowler (2000) and Thomas (2001) played previously for the Kats.
Free agents such as quarterback Tony Graziani and offensive specialist Chris Jackson are not eligible to be protected or selected in the 2005 AFL Expansion Draft as no team currently holds their rights. Nashville and the rest of the AFL's teams may begin signing free agents on Friday, Oct. 1.
The draft, which is conducted via telephone conference, begins at 10 a.m. (Pacific) and consists of a maximum of 20 rounds. Trades between Nashville and other clubs may be made at any time prior to and during the draft. Once a player is selected from a team, that club will be allowed to pull back one player from its own unprotected list. Existing teams can lose a maximum of six players in this process.
Other notables on the AFL's official unprotected list are: San Jose SaberCat lineman Sam Hernandez (2000 AFL "Lineman of the Year"), former Avenger FB/LB Chad Dukes (1998 AFL "Ironman of the Year") and a pair of starting quarterbacks - John Fitzgerald (New Orleans VooDoo) and Glen Gauntt (Dallas Desperados).
The Avengers went 9-7 this past season, as Graziani directed the AFL's highest scoring offense (56.5 points per game), while tossing a league-high 99 touchdown passes. Last season, the Avengers averaged 12,590 fans at their eight home games at STAPLES Center.
Fifty dollar deposits for 2005 Avenger season tickets are now being accepted at 1-888-AVENGERS or online at www.laavengers.com.
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- L.A. Avengers protect 16 from AFL's expansion draft - Los Angeles Avengers
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