December 15, 2000
Only 48 hours after completing the team’s second
mini-camp, Las Vegas Outlaws Head Coach Jim Criner added
two players and waived four others to bring the team’s
roster to 68 players with 11 days remaining until the
December 29 XFL Supplemental Draft.
Today’s additions include LB Kurt Gouveia, a 13-year
NFL veteran who earned Super Bowl rings in 1987 and 1991
with the Washington Redskins, and RB Vershan Jackson, a
former Nebraska fullback who has spent the last two NFL
training camps with the Kansas City Chiefs after being
signed as a free agent by the Seattle Seahawks in 1998.
“I love this game and am willing to do anything to
contribute to this league and this team,” said
Gouveia, who lives in San Diego and is the father of
five. “The love of the game is in my heart, and I’m
sure that the Outlaws will have fun. I’m looking
forward to the chance of playing and helping to develop
the spectacular young and up-and-coming athletes on our
roster. Hopefully, my experience and work ethic will
spread to the younger players.”
Gouveia joins the Outlaws as one of the team’s final
two territorial protections, with the Hawaiian-born
linebacker playing his college ball at BYU. Jackson, a
member of Nebraska’s perfect 1994 and 1995 national
championship squads, joins seven other Cornhuskers on
the Outlaw roster, but did not come to Las Vegas as a
territorial selection. Last week, Criner added former
UNLV offensive lineman Lonnie Palelei to the Outlaw mix,
making him the second former Rebel on the XFL team.
“Kurt has enjoyed a tremendous career, and he still
has the burning desire to play,” said Criner, who has
posted a 102-80-3 record (.560 winning pct.), won two
championships and advanced to five title games during
his 13 years as a head coach at Boise State (59-21-1),
Iowa State (17-25-2) and with the Scottish Claymores
(26-34) of NFL Europe. “Fortunately for us, he still
has incredible ability and has kept himself in tip-top
shape. We will look to Kurt to provide leadership and to
set the tempo for what will be important to our players
and to help establish what we need to successfully
attain our goal of winning the inaugural XFL
championship.”
The Outlaws have used all but one of the team’s
fifteen 2000 territorial selections from UNLV, BYU and
Nebraska, with 12 of these players on the 70-man Las
Vegas roster entering January’s training camp. One
former BYU player, OL Scott Brumfield, retired early
last week, while former Nebraska LB Mike Croel was
traded to the Los Angeles Xtreme on draft day in
exchange for LB Joseph Tuipala, the first trade in XFL
history.
“Vershan is a big, physical, prototypical H-back, with
the ability to run, block and catch the ball,” said
Criner, noting that Jackson was a tight end during his
first three seasons at Nebraska. “He will compete for
the starting H-back position.”
WAIVED: The Outlaws also released four players - QB
Chris Kasteler, LB Tom Matijacic, K Mike Scott and DE
Andre Wray.
SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT: Each XFL team will be permitted to
select up to 70 players in the league’s Supplemental
Draft, which will begin at 6:00 a.m. PT on Friday,
December 29. With each team already at 68-70 players,
rebuilding a team from scratch probably only occurs in
theory, but the draft will only end after each XFL team
has elected to “pass” on its selection in a
particular round. Players currently on NFL rosters,
practice squads, and those able to come to an agreement
with the XFL by the 29th will compose the player pool
for the Supplemental Draft.
On January 1, 2001, the four XFL Western Conference
teams come to Las Vegas for January’s Training Camp.
The Outlaws will be joined at the Sam Boyd Stadium
practice fields by the Los Angeles Xtreme, while the
Memphis Maniax will train at Foothill High School in
Henderson and the San Francisco Demons will train at
Cimarron Memorial High School in northwest Las Vegas,
near Summerlin. |
