Gionni Paul sat in the Rice-Eccles Stadium locker room with his right arm broken and his outlook undamaged. The former University of Utah star told himself he could come back next year and build on his performance as a Salt Lake Stallions linebacker.
Three days later, the Alliance of American Football stopped playing. “I’m thinking, ‘I’m dreaming,’ ” Paul said, reliving the April 2 team meeting when the announcement came.
Paul soon became a face of the AAF players’ plight, thanks to his tweet about being injured, losing his housing and wondering who would pay his medical bills.