Hello All,
The history of the AFFL has been well documented, inaccurately in alot of cases, on the internet. We have chosen not to discuss in public forums what we feel are private matters between us and our prize winners. Because of this, and the fact that we have chosen not to defend ourselves against some of the ridiculous accusations that are floating around out there, we have been labeled by some as criminals, thieves, or shady. This has not been much of a concern to this point, because our site, as well as our industry, is directed to an adult audience, and therefore, it is assumed that you guys know that you cannot always believe everything you read on the internet. It is expected, as by any company, that players can formulate their own opinions, and see uninformed bashing for what it is. That is why we do not discuss things publicly. People that have chosen to contact us via phone or email have usually left the conversation satisfied and much more informed than some people that claim to be "in the know" about our situation. Needless to say that this is a business and, of course, there are some Fantasy Football Players (Champions even) out there who might say or imply things, hoping that the AFFL would cease to exist. Many inaccurate posts that I have read in cyberland, on various message boards, are made by people that are not even customers, let alone owed money. People are entitled to their opinions, but as with any opinion, others need to realize just that. They are merely a person's opinions. To get any amount of truth or verification to formulate one's own opinion, players are more than welcome, and encouraged to contact us with any of their concerns.
For the record, since we took over this contest in late 2008, the following has happened. We have run contests in every one of the last 4 years. All 2008 prize winners were paid in full. All 2010 and 2011 prize winners have been paid in full. In 2009, we experienced financial difficulty. We did not con, steal, scheme, defraud, or run away with anybody's money. We did not take entry fees and invest them in real estate. We did not run a "ponzi" scheme. What we did do was send out money to almost every single prize winner. Initially, we sent full payments, ½ payments, and ¼ payments to the prize winners. The only people who did not receive at least a ¼ payment were our grand prize winners, but they all did receive a payment. We divided what money we had to ensure that all winners would get an initial payment. To date, of the over 300 prize winners in 2009 there are approximately 32 remaining that we owe money to. Over 268 have been paid in full. We have sent out payments as recently as March 2012 and are hoping to send out more in the months to come. We have been doing what we can to find and raise money. As the company takes in money, we send out checks. We are not using entry fees to pay 09 winners. We only use investor contributions, personal funds, or profit to pay 09 winners. We made changes to the structure of the contest two years ago to ensure that a repeat of 09 would not happen. Those changes will likely remain in effect this year. The biggest of those changes was the postponement of the usage of 2007 credits. The 2007 credits were the biggest contributor to the financial difficulty we experienced in 2009.
We have only ever tried to do what was right for the AFFL customers, starting in 2007 when we extended over $600,000 in dollar for dollar credits to the unpaid customers of the previous owner. That is not something that we had to do. However, if we hadn't, then anybody that was owed money from 2007 would have received nothing. There have been numerous companies, both before and after 2007, that have folded and paid out nobody. Rarely is anything said about them. Out of sight, out of mind. (I personally was owed money in 2007 from the previous owner as well as another company in 2008 that is now defunct.) I suppose we could have done that. Just closed shop, filed for bankruptcy, and that would be that. Move on with our lives. Every once in a while someone might bring it up on some message board, but all in all the stress and problems would be gone.
However, we choose to stay in business, to fight for what we believe in, to do whatever we can to make sure that we pay the people that we owe money to, and we are crucified by certain people time and time again. People who would apparently like to see us go out of business and file for bankruptcy. Hey, that would mean that our customers would have to find a new place to play. I often see comments asking how are we able to stay in business, how do we have partners, or how can people play with us. Well, it’s because most people realize that we are honest guys doing what we can to correct a mistake. A mistake that should have been avoided but was not, granted. We have learned from our mistakes and are moving forward, working to correct them.
Believe me when I tell you that this has not been easy. It is gut wrenching knowing that we still owe people money. This is not something that we have taken lightly. Again, we have not chosen the easy road out as other defunct contests have. We are working to make things right. We have expressed our sincere apologies to the remaining prize winners time and time again. We at the AFFL are lucky to have such loyal customers and would like to thank each and every one of them who have reached out to us over the years, gotten the facts, and continued to play with us.
I'm sure you know that you can never please everyone. Some people just like to bash and complain. We have never said that we were not going to pay. Money does not grow on trees though, as I'm sure you guys know. We have put everything that we have into this. In this economy, and under these circumstances, it is not easy to secure funding.
To the few remaining 09 prize winners that may see this, we appreciate the patience and understanding that most of you have shown us. Thank you so much, really. To those of you who are frustrated, we do not blame you, we understand your frustration. There is no excuse for some 09 prize winners still not being paid in full. There is only an explanation. As to the future payouts, we have a strategy and most of the remaining 09 prize winners know what it is.
To the few 07 winners that still have unused credits with us, our agreements will still be honored. We simply cannot continue doing business as we did in the first two years. That would only lead to the end of the AFFL. Anyone still holding credits will be allowed to use them once the postponement is lifted, likely next year. Most likely it will be in portions of what they have in credit. Again, it is our intention to pay the remaining 09 winners in full and honor all the agreements made with the 07 winners. The only question is the timeline in which this will be accomplished, and that is a question we do not have an answer to.
As for the lawsuit that was filed, there is a lot that I would like to say, but let me only say this. I have seen on message boards that it has recently been made public that the 2009 gold prize winner, who filed the lawsuit, happened to be partners with a co-owner of a competing contest. It is my opinion that the fact that a competitor of ours was involved had a lot to do with the lawsuit being filed. I'll only point out that every other 2009 prize winner that was not initially paid in full, with the exception of the one associated with our competition, showed extreme patience and understanding with us back then, and some still continue to. We would like to thank them all again. For some their patience has already paid off as they have received their checks paying them their balance due. For the few remaining, it will pay off soon.
Believe me; I am not trying to take away from the fact that we did indeed owe the money. I am simply saying that we never said we were not going to pay, we simply needed time. More time than they were willing to give so the lawsuit was filed. In fairness, we were offered a payment plan; however, the time frame for payments would have been impossible to comply with. I can honestly say that if that lawsuit had not been filed, causing the negative repercussions that it did, I believe all 2009 prize winners would have been paid in full by now.
Further, I am aware that there are some startup websites out there that are desperate to gain credibility and recognition. Sites that I would like to believe started with the best intentions but have now, in my opinion, transformed into promotional tools. I guess posting stories with inaccurate headlines on a dead message board and trying to solicit stories perceived as scandalous is a way to do that. I have a scandalous story I'd like to share. Back in 2007 every single prize winner that was owed money by the previous owner was given the option to pursue him for their money or offered a credit in the exact amount of their winnings with the new contest. It was an offer that had an expiration date. Over 90% of the prize winners took advantage of that offer and were issued credits. The rest opted out. Well over a year later, at the start of the 2009 season, we were contacted by an old 07 prize winner who now wanted to take advantage of the offer that had expired. Although we were under no obligation to do so, we compromised and issued that old winner a free team in our Gold level, in which he won money and was paid in full when the first round of 2009 prize checks went out. This is someone, who considers himself important in our industry, who had knowledge that checks had in fact been sent out but rarely, if ever, brings it up. Scandalous don't you think.
This is just a brief summary of what has happened. I will not be defending, debating, or explaining anything else from this post in public forums. Both Bob and my phone numbers and email address' are well documented. If anyone has any questions please feel free to call or email us. Contrary to some posts out there, as I'm sure many of you can vouch for, calls and emails to us do not go unanswered, sometimes it may take a day, sometimes two, but rarely, if ever go unanswered.
In closing, this is only an attempt to briefly show that we are in no way criminals. That we are working towards a goal, to complete the 09 payouts asap, and reestablish the AFFL as a premier contest. We accept and acknowledge responsibility for what happened but we will move forward. To help, we are securing all 2012 prizes in an attorney escrow account. If you are interested in playing with us, you are welcome. If not, good luck to you. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I'm sure there will be plenty posted about this brief statement. Good luck to you all this year.
P.S. When all is said and done, when we have made good on our 2009 obligations, as well as the 2007 obligations we took on from the previous owner, I believe our story will be a shining light for this industry, not a black eye.
Wade and Bob
The history of the AFFL has been well documented, inaccurately in alot of cases, on the internet. We have chosen not to discuss in public forums what we feel are private matters between us and our prize winners. Because of this, and the fact that we have chosen not to defend ourselves against some of the ridiculous accusations that are floating around out there, we have been labeled by some as criminals, thieves, or shady. This has not been much of a concern to this point, because our site, as well as our industry, is directed to an adult audience, and therefore, it is assumed that you guys know that you cannot always believe everything you read on the internet. It is expected, as by any company, that players can formulate their own opinions, and see uninformed bashing for what it is. That is why we do not discuss things publicly. People that have chosen to contact us via phone or email have usually left the conversation satisfied and much more informed than some people that claim to be "in the know" about our situation. Needless to say that this is a business and, of course, there are some Fantasy Football Players (Champions even) out there who might say or imply things, hoping that the AFFL would cease to exist. Many inaccurate posts that I have read in cyberland, on various message boards, are made by people that are not even customers, let alone owed money. People are entitled to their opinions, but as with any opinion, others need to realize just that. They are merely a person's opinions. To get any amount of truth or verification to formulate one's own opinion, players are more than welcome, and encouraged to contact us with any of their concerns.
For the record, since we took over this contest in late 2008, the following has happened. We have run contests in every one of the last 4 years. All 2008 prize winners were paid in full. All 2010 and 2011 prize winners have been paid in full. In 2009, we experienced financial difficulty. We did not con, steal, scheme, defraud, or run away with anybody's money. We did not take entry fees and invest them in real estate. We did not run a "ponzi" scheme. What we did do was send out money to almost every single prize winner. Initially, we sent full payments, ½ payments, and ¼ payments to the prize winners. The only people who did not receive at least a ¼ payment were our grand prize winners, but they all did receive a payment. We divided what money we had to ensure that all winners would get an initial payment. To date, of the over 300 prize winners in 2009 there are approximately 32 remaining that we owe money to. Over 268 have been paid in full. We have sent out payments as recently as March 2012 and are hoping to send out more in the months to come. We have been doing what we can to find and raise money. As the company takes in money, we send out checks. We are not using entry fees to pay 09 winners. We only use investor contributions, personal funds, or profit to pay 09 winners. We made changes to the structure of the contest two years ago to ensure that a repeat of 09 would not happen. Those changes will likely remain in effect this year. The biggest of those changes was the postponement of the usage of 2007 credits. The 2007 credits were the biggest contributor to the financial difficulty we experienced in 2009.
We have only ever tried to do what was right for the AFFL customers, starting in 2007 when we extended over $600,000 in dollar for dollar credits to the unpaid customers of the previous owner. That is not something that we had to do. However, if we hadn't, then anybody that was owed money from 2007 would have received nothing. There have been numerous companies, both before and after 2007, that have folded and paid out nobody. Rarely is anything said about them. Out of sight, out of mind. (I personally was owed money in 2007 from the previous owner as well as another company in 2008 that is now defunct.) I suppose we could have done that. Just closed shop, filed for bankruptcy, and that would be that. Move on with our lives. Every once in a while someone might bring it up on some message board, but all in all the stress and problems would be gone.
However, we choose to stay in business, to fight for what we believe in, to do whatever we can to make sure that we pay the people that we owe money to, and we are crucified by certain people time and time again. People who would apparently like to see us go out of business and file for bankruptcy. Hey, that would mean that our customers would have to find a new place to play. I often see comments asking how are we able to stay in business, how do we have partners, or how can people play with us. Well, it’s because most people realize that we are honest guys doing what we can to correct a mistake. A mistake that should have been avoided but was not, granted. We have learned from our mistakes and are moving forward, working to correct them.
Believe me when I tell you that this has not been easy. It is gut wrenching knowing that we still owe people money. This is not something that we have taken lightly. Again, we have not chosen the easy road out as other defunct contests have. We are working to make things right. We have expressed our sincere apologies to the remaining prize winners time and time again. We at the AFFL are lucky to have such loyal customers and would like to thank each and every one of them who have reached out to us over the years, gotten the facts, and continued to play with us.
I'm sure you know that you can never please everyone. Some people just like to bash and complain. We have never said that we were not going to pay. Money does not grow on trees though, as I'm sure you guys know. We have put everything that we have into this. In this economy, and under these circumstances, it is not easy to secure funding.
To the few remaining 09 prize winners that may see this, we appreciate the patience and understanding that most of you have shown us. Thank you so much, really. To those of you who are frustrated, we do not blame you, we understand your frustration. There is no excuse for some 09 prize winners still not being paid in full. There is only an explanation. As to the future payouts, we have a strategy and most of the remaining 09 prize winners know what it is.
To the few 07 winners that still have unused credits with us, our agreements will still be honored. We simply cannot continue doing business as we did in the first two years. That would only lead to the end of the AFFL. Anyone still holding credits will be allowed to use them once the postponement is lifted, likely next year. Most likely it will be in portions of what they have in credit. Again, it is our intention to pay the remaining 09 winners in full and honor all the agreements made with the 07 winners. The only question is the timeline in which this will be accomplished, and that is a question we do not have an answer to.
As for the lawsuit that was filed, there is a lot that I would like to say, but let me only say this. I have seen on message boards that it has recently been made public that the 2009 gold prize winner, who filed the lawsuit, happened to be partners with a co-owner of a competing contest. It is my opinion that the fact that a competitor of ours was involved had a lot to do with the lawsuit being filed. I'll only point out that every other 2009 prize winner that was not initially paid in full, with the exception of the one associated with our competition, showed extreme patience and understanding with us back then, and some still continue to. We would like to thank them all again. For some their patience has already paid off as they have received their checks paying them their balance due. For the few remaining, it will pay off soon.
Believe me; I am not trying to take away from the fact that we did indeed owe the money. I am simply saying that we never said we were not going to pay, we simply needed time. More time than they were willing to give so the lawsuit was filed. In fairness, we were offered a payment plan; however, the time frame for payments would have been impossible to comply with. I can honestly say that if that lawsuit had not been filed, causing the negative repercussions that it did, I believe all 2009 prize winners would have been paid in full by now.
Further, I am aware that there are some startup websites out there that are desperate to gain credibility and recognition. Sites that I would like to believe started with the best intentions but have now, in my opinion, transformed into promotional tools. I guess posting stories with inaccurate headlines on a dead message board and trying to solicit stories perceived as scandalous is a way to do that. I have a scandalous story I'd like to share. Back in 2007 every single prize winner that was owed money by the previous owner was given the option to pursue him for their money or offered a credit in the exact amount of their winnings with the new contest. It was an offer that had an expiration date. Over 90% of the prize winners took advantage of that offer and were issued credits. The rest opted out. Well over a year later, at the start of the 2009 season, we were contacted by an old 07 prize winner who now wanted to take advantage of the offer that had expired. Although we were under no obligation to do so, we compromised and issued that old winner a free team in our Gold level, in which he won money and was paid in full when the first round of 2009 prize checks went out. This is someone, who considers himself important in our industry, who had knowledge that checks had in fact been sent out but rarely, if ever, brings it up. Scandalous don't you think.
This is just a brief summary of what has happened. I will not be defending, debating, or explaining anything else from this post in public forums. Both Bob and my phone numbers and email address' are well documented. If anyone has any questions please feel free to call or email us. Contrary to some posts out there, as I'm sure many of you can vouch for, calls and emails to us do not go unanswered, sometimes it may take a day, sometimes two, but rarely, if ever go unanswered.
In closing, this is only an attempt to briefly show that we are in no way criminals. That we are working towards a goal, to complete the 09 payouts asap, and reestablish the AFFL as a premier contest. We accept and acknowledge responsibility for what happened but we will move forward. To help, we are securing all 2012 prizes in an attorney escrow account. If you are interested in playing with us, you are welcome. If not, good luck to you. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I'm sure there will be plenty posted about this brief statement. Good luck to you all this year.
P.S. When all is said and done, when we have made good on our 2009 obligations, as well as the 2007 obligations we took on from the previous owner, I believe our story will be a shining light for this industry, not a black eye.
Wade and Bob
Good luck with that. I wouldn't put in any money but that's just me.
