- The Corpus Christi Tritons were formally released from the National Arena League
- The Tritons were informed on Sunday, they would be left off the 2025 NAL schedule for non-compliance
- Corpus Christi is immediately looking for a new league to take part in
Corpus Christi Tritons co-owner Kevin Cecil confirmed with KRIS 6 News that they were formally released from the National Arena League.
In a social media post on Monday, the Tritons informed fans they were disappointed with the NAL because they were leaving Corpus Christi off of the 2025 league schedule.
Cecil said he spoke with the league last Thursday, confirming all the Tritons game dates and was excited to announce them to fans. On Sunday, the NAL called and informed him they wouldn't be on the schedule.
“We asked numerous times of why we were getting ghosted. We weren’t getting the information we needed and then we end up finding out that it was basically an inconvenience to the other team owners because of their scheduling conflicts they had with their arenas,” he said.
The Tritons were given a deadline of Sept. 1, as well as all league teams, to comply with the leagues requirements to partake in the league. Cecil said they spent the next few weeks getting things in order and complying with the rules.
He said even after compliance, Corpus Christi was still excluded.
“What it came down to, it was did we have certain dates that needed to be followed to get certain things done, yes. But it wasn’t even just us. There was like five, six other teams that were under the same limelight,” Cecil said.
The NAL released their schedule in a live YouTube broadcast on Monday, Oct. 15 on the Inside the Walls Network.
Commissioner Todd Walkenhorst spoke for four minutes about the Corpus Christi situation. He wasn't going to address it until the Tritons released their statement. He said he didn't want to lose any teams from the league. He disagreed with what was said in the social media post.
He said the decision came down to scheduling and rules that needed to be followed.
“We had a schedule put together, a month ago, I'll be honest with you, with 12 teams on it. We had to do that, we want to do that because those dates get filled up. The arenas in these towns will not actually lock that date in until we have a real schedule out there. They’ll hold them but they will not lock them. So in the last three or four weeks while we’ve been waiting for these requirements to be made, I've got teams that are losing dates,” Walkenhorst said on the broadcast.
He added if a team had to move a game to a week night, that affects business.
Another caveat to this news is that the Tritons had to release all of their players because they’re under contract with the NAL.
“They are upset by the situation and they told us and our coaching staff we want to go wherever the Tritons go,” Cecil said.
Cecil said the Tritons are actively looking for a new league to join before the start of games in the spring. He could not disclose which leagues he's spoken with, but he's confident the Tritons will take the field in 2025.
The Tritons joined the NAL in July when their previous league, The American Indoor Football League, was absorbed by the NAL. 12 teams were set to take part in the NAL as they added eight teams this summer.
The Tritons just held open tryouts for the 2025 season. They plan to hold another tryout with the date, place and time to be determined after they find a new league.
Cecil is proud of the following the Tritons have gained in Corpus Christi and has no plans of folding. Corpus Christi became the first arena football team with a purple heart designation.
"I think with what we've done in the first year, we've proved ourselves. We've built a great fan base. We've got great love and support from the citizens, the community," Cecil said.
KRIS 6 News reached out to Commissioner Todd Walkenhorst, but he did not respond.
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