Soul’s Back Sans Bon Jovi

An Arena Football League franchise that previously got a big push from Jon Bon Jovi is back in the game following a two-year hiatus – this time, without the support of the rocker.

Former league champions the Philadelphia Soul recently returned to the AFL with a new roster and new majority owners in former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski and real estate developer Craig Spencer.

While Bon Jovi previously owned a majority stake in the Soul and heavily promoted it, some on the team felt his fame slightly overshadowed the Soul’s own accomplishments, such as winning the AFL championship in 2008. League play was canceled the following year.

But now, following the rebirth of the league and a new economic model that features fewer teams, shorter contracts and salary caps for players, Jaworski told the Philadelphia Inquirer his team is ready to take the field once again.

“I always thought we’d come back,” Jaworski said. “The business model of the league was broken. It’s not the way the game is played. It’s not the coaches, and it’s not the players. The model had to be fixed for the long-term, and it has been fixed.”

The Soul plays its home opener at the Wells Fargo Center against the Tampa Bay Storm April 15.