| The Philadelphia Inquirer PHILADELPHIA -- More and more it seems likely the Philadelphia Soul will hold the distinction of being the final champions of the Arena Football League. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS With operations suspended for months, the league is on the verge of bankruptcy and dissolving, according to multiple reports. Following the Soul's victory in ArenaBowl XXII in 2008, the 15-team league suspended operations for the 2009 season, but had hoped to resume play for 2010. The league issued a statement on its Web site in April saying it had an outline for a restructuring process, but that apparently has not worked. "There is still a lot of work to be done, but I am excited that we are close to bringing this great game back to the fans", Craig A. Spencer, co-majority owner of the Soul, said in that league statement. Reached Tuesday at his home, Spencer declined comment on the status of the league and indicated the league office in New York would issue a statement. No one answered phones at the league's New York or Chicago offices. A representative from af2, the minor-league version of the AFL that has continued play this season, had no knowledge of a statement or whether anyone was still working out of the AFL's New York offices. James Guidry, the regional director of the AFL players' association, said it "seems to be inevitable at this point" that the AFL will shut down, according to the Associated Press. The Soul, meanwhile, have closed their offices since the 2009 season was suspended in December 2008. The team's Web site has been shut down, displaying only a message thanking fans for the last five years. Bret Munsey, the team's coach, took a job with the Orlando franchise in the fledgling United Football League. Team president Ron Jaworski did not return calls requesting a comment. The Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation has been renamed the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, after Bon Jovi, the team's founder and co-majority owner, according to its Web site. The AFL has been without a commissioner since David Baker resigned two days before the 2008 ArenaBowl. "The league was divided into two groups and factions", Brett Bouchy, majority owner of the Arizona Rattlers, told The Orlando Sentinel. "You had one group of committed owners who contributed capital and were willing to do whatever it took to bring the league back in 2010. I have been in that group the entire time. Then there was another group that just wasn't willing to make the investment. We could never get a consensus." According to The Associated Press, ESPN, which owns a small equity share in the league, said it was not involved in management of the AFL. "This is entirely an internal AFL matter", ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said, according to the AP. "Our telecast agreement with the league has been terminated."
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