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when his name appears in any headlines grand slam circuit The running league that was supposed to inject cash into the bank accounts of the sport and its athletes has declared bankruptcy, officially announcing that dozens of runners and even more vendors may not see any of the money they were promised.
But Eric Edwards Jr., an up-and-coming hurdler trying to bolster his young career, really needed the money. He plans to use it to pay rent, put gas in his car and fund his training.
According to the league’s bankruptcy filing, Edwards still owes more than $19,000 — a relatively small number among the list of more than 300 people and companies the league owes about $40 million. Michael Johnson But it failed spectacularly. But that’s a big number for a hurdler trying to make ends meet.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Edwards recounted his first reaction when he first heard that the excise tax offered $12.8 million in bonuses and other bonuses to people who simply signed up: “I thought, you’re all crazy,” he said.
Now, there’s a different suspicion.
“It never occurred to me that it wasn’t going to pay to play,” Edwards, 26, said.
Agents see league’s 2026 plans and speak out
The Association of Athletics Managers – a group of agents who say it is responsible for nearly four-fifths of track and field athletes who have won medals at recent Olympics and world championships – issued a statement on Friday saying it was shocked by the news grand slam Track is moving forward with plans to restart the league later this year.
Part of those plans is to set aside $400,000 for athlete recruitment for the 2026 season, the statement said.
“This will all be completed before any other payments are made in 2025,” the statement said. “AAM does not support this approach.”
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Chairman & CEOSteve Gera, who owes more than $170,000, according to the bankruptcy filing, did not respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.
GST’s latest bankruptcy filing will be filed on Friday. A hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday.
Michael Johnson takes out $2.2m loan from GST but has yet to repay it
According to documents, GST owes Johnson more than $2.2 million, the result of a loan he took out in May, a week before the league’s third game in Philadelphia nearly didn’t happen.
The league ultimately canceled Game 4, which was scheduled to be played in Los Angeles in June.
Others owed large sums of money include Olympic champion Sidney McLaughlin-Levrone ($268,750), Gabby Thomas ($185,625), Marileidy Paulino ($173,125) and world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ($175,375).
The athletes were among those who signed up to the GST, which caused a huge stir by promising that athletics would attract eyeballs and pay athletes big bucks even after the Olympics, decades after it ceased to be a popular sport.
The league quickly ran into problems, with reports from as early as the first tournament in Jamaica that athletes and vendors were not being paid.
Edwards needs every penny to make ends meet
For the Thomases and McLaughlin-Levrons of the world, track is their only job, so while missing out on a six-figure payment hurts, it doesn’t stop everything.
Edwards’ story, however, is more common.
Without a shoe deal or any major sponsors, he needs every penny he can get to keep running. While he did receive about half of what he was owed, the $19,000 was meaningful money. He now has a part-time delivery job at Amazon to make ends meet while continuing his training. He also moved back home to Houston to live with his family.
“When the majors started, I was ranked 15th in the world,” Edwards said by phone from France, where he is competing in an indoor tournament. “If you look at the No. 15 wide receiver in the NFL, or the No. 15 player in the NBA, they’re making money. The No. 15 hurdler in the world can’t even pay rent. It’s crazy that that’s happening, but that’s my reality.”
A typical day after he gets home involves working out on his own from 6 a.m. to the high school’s track, following instructions developed and sent to him by his coach. He keeps his work clothes and protein shakes in his car so he can go straight from the track to the Amazon to start his 10-hour shift.
With the Summer Olympics just over two years away, this will be his ultimate goal and maybe even a path to riches. But now, he lives day by day – the dream of a big-money alliance coming to the rescue is now nothing more than a distant mirage.
“All I want is to be able to live a comfortable life with all the hard work I put in,” Edwards said. “That would be my dream — to be able to run alone.”
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AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports