Chop Block: Where Semi-Pro Went Wrong, Part One

Chop Block: Where Semi-Pro Football Went Wrong, Part One

September 8, 2016 by Terrance Biggs

Over the past two years, I’ve covered semipro football at a state and regional level. November 2015 saw a quantum leap in the caliber of leagues to cover. I agreed to work for the Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL). This league touts itself as the one of the largest leagues in the country, and a bastion of elite athletic talent. Initially, my job with the GDFL seemed like the perfect fit. What I would find out over the next nine months shook my belief in the semipro ethos. In order to tell the story correctly, you must venture back.

GDFL CEO Charles Thompson is no stranger to controversies, drama and enmity. Helming one of the nation’s largest semipro organizations is a chore. Yet, this series will express the concerns of many current and former teams, coaches, and officials. People wholeheartedly believed in the GDFL and what it was promised. As I will explain later, I bear no ill will towards the league or its official. My aim remains the same: shine a light on inconsistencies, hoping that players and teams do not suffer for them. As is the case with any LGF article I write, I receive zero compensation. Various viewpoints need hearing out.

The Central Pennsylvania Piranha is one of America’s most storied franchises. Established in 1995, the Piranha garnered championships and accolades. They won the 2014 National Championship. Yet, there is not official recognition of their accomplishment. Their 2014 National Championship is expunged from the GDFL record books. How does a champion’s name simply vanish without any warning? Owner Thomas Laubach sat down to explain a few details.

Q: CPP has a long history of semipro excellence. How did you join the GDFL?

Laubach: CPP has a long history of semipro excellence. How did you join the GDFL? We were in the GDFL back in 2012 and defeated the South Buffalo Celtics for the Championship. After that season most of the teams in the Northeast decided to leave for the RAFL. At that time Ron Kerr was the owner. We decided to come back in 2014 when I took over the team. We won the Championship in Memphis, TN. After the game our locker room was robbed and Charles Thompson did nothing to help us out. He left right out of the parking lot and left us there. We traveled three straight weeks out of our own pocket with no help from the league. We were told there would be assistance, and it never came through. We went to Jacksonville, FL, Columbia, SC and Memphis. Sandwiched in there we had a team not show up in the playoffs. We rented a field for $1500 and the League did nothing about it.

 

Q: Were there any unfulfilled promises made?

Laubach: We never received our uniforms for winning the league, and help with payment for two forfeited games that we had to pay for from Charles Thompson.

 

Q: How is it possible for the CPP to win a championship that goes unrecognized by the league?

Laubach: Because we would not return to his league after we won and I called him out for what he owes us.

 

Q: There’s a picture of Charles Thompson in a CPP jersey floating. Critics say that the night before the game that Thompson partied with the team. What is the truth?

Laubach: That is from after the 2012 Championship, we made him prove he made our jerseys. In 2014 he hosted a terrible pregame party, which they covered nothing for the guys, not even a soda. We were told would be free food and drinks. We were there, and the other team never showed up.

Q: What were your overall interpretations of the league?

Laubach: Terrible. It was all favored around his team. He let teams in with no vetting and made the teams make their own schedules. The league did nothing. It was a total waste of money. The only reason we went was because he let us in with no dues.

 

Q: The championship game versus OKC, they are claiming bad officiating cost them. Did you see it that way?

Laubach: Of course they are. But you need to look at the stats. We had more penalty yards then they did. They are just sore losers. They did not even shake hand or stay for trophy presentation.

 

Q: What was the first sign of trouble with the league?

Laubach: Charles Thompson opening his mouth. It was up and down all season.

 

Q: How do you think the league lasted this long?

Laubach: The phrase “National Champion” is overstated now with the lack of quality teams.

 

 

 

In 2014, the Oklahoma City Bounty Hunters served as the Central Pennsylvania’s opponent in the 2014 National Championship. They left the GDFL following that season. Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cox remembers what transpired far differently. Strangely, Cox and Laubach agree that GDFL management failed to meet the expectations of its teams. Cox outlines his issues with the GDFL.

Q: Why did OKC leave?

Cox: After the championship game we came together as a staff and said we would give the league one more year to see if anything got better. It didn’t get better. We had an issue with a player. A kid named Tom Wort who played LB at OU and spent some time with the Tennessee Titans. He reached out to me and said he wanted to come on board, well there was a problem. The Oklahoma Thunder (fellow GDFL team) had put him on their roster without his permission, or without even having a conversation with them. One of his teammates from OU played for the Thunder, and he told them to put Tom on the Roster. I let Charles know this, even had a conversation with Chas with Tom on the phone. Tom told Charles that he has never even spoke to the Thunder and he didn’t appreciate one of Chas’ teams in his league using his name without his permission. So, Chas doing the right thing allowed us to sign him.

Two days later after the Thunder saw him on our roster they called and bitched and complained to Charles. Thompson contacted me and told me that he changed his mind and the only team Tom could play for was the Thunder. Tom declined and said he wouldn’t play for them, that he would only play for us. Well I lost it; I called out Chas and the owners up in Tulsa in a conference call. I really let them have it. We ended up on another conference call a week or so later were I was called a racist. Well Charles came up with something that I’m sure Tulsa had their hands in. He told us that the only way the OKCBH would be allowed to be in the GDFL the next year was if they cut ties with me. Hell, I’m the only coach within the organization that has been part of all 100 wins and 11 losses. Coach Kelly who is a part owner told Chas to go **** himself that his league was being controlled by the Thunder and we had already planned to exit at the end of the season. We were never going back to the GDFL for another season after 2015.

 

Q: Where did the league fail you during the championship game?

Cox: We lost that game 21-19. My team had 3TDs called back by 1 official, that same one also ejected a player of ours for “throwing a punch”, but there wasn’t any punches thrown, our LB used a rip technique to get off of a blocker and it was clear as day. That official was none other than Jerry Lovvern, who is the GDFLs head of officials. We believed that he was drunk during the game. Myself, as well as every player of ours on the field that night could smell the liquor on his breath.

 

Q: Are issues with referees common within the GDFL?

Cox: The whole playoff game between us and them last year which took place in OKC was doomed from the get go. The league has a rule in place to where the visiting team can ask for a split crew. The crew for our game last year wasn’t a split crew, it was supposedly a neutral crew but come to find out it wasn’t so neutral. The crew was recommended to Charles by the Thunder Offensive Coordinator. He lives in Texas and the crew was from there, he personally knew them. That’s not a Neutral Crew in my mind

 

Q: If these rules are broken outright, why aren’t more teams angry?

Cox: You do know that at one point in time the league had over like 70 teams. When we first joined in 2012, there were a ton of teams. A lot of people left because of Thompson. I have messages from 2013 and 2014 from teams telling me that we needed to get out because it was getting bad.

 

Q: Why do teams stay?

Cox: The GDFL by concept is good, it’s just poorly run. In my opinion, you can’t run a league and have a team in the league too. (Thompson owns the Memphis Blast. He also coaches them) Conflict of interest. Also, you have to be transparent as a CEO. He is not.

 

On the picture of Thompson wearing a CPP jersey, the Piranha management claims that he was wearing it as proof of the GDFL buying them. (Winners of the Gridiron Bowl receive their league fees and a new set of uniforms provided by the league). Cox disagreed:

Cox: Hell No. We never got any invite to a meet and greet. Just the year before we played the Memphis dolphins in a 2nd round playoff game in Memphis. Charles told me he would be there since it was a playoff game in his City, the leagues City. The Dolphins were ranked around the top 4 and we beat them. We also had guns pulled on us in the parking lot and had to get police escort back to our room. That dude has been against us from the beginning.

 

While each side level accusations against the league, one thing remains clear: There are still unexplained circumstances. http://www.gdfl.org/national-champions/ Vacated? By who? Why? The Central Pennsylvania Piranha do not seem like they vacated anything.