Richard Obert

azcentral sports

The inaugural China American Football League is set to begin in the fall and one Rattler, linebacker Tyre Glasper, could be brushing up on his Mandarin and Cantonese.

Glasper was among the 60 American players selected to play in the six-team league. He was taken in the well-watched draft on Friday. He went in the fourth round by the Guangzhou Power. He joins former Rattlers safety Virgil Gray.

Offensive lineman/fullback David Wang, who was in the Rattlers' training camp, was the first player taken in the CAFL draft, going to Guangzhou. According to CAFL analytics, the live stream of the draft was viewed in 18 nations, and, a Google report revealed that more that 14,000 viewers logged on during the 150-minute draft.

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There were 120 players taken, 20 players by each team. Half of the teams' rosters are comprised of American players, most of them from the Philadelphia Soul (9-2), whom the Rattlers (8-3) host at 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN2. The rest of the rosters are made up of Chinese players.

There were 43 players with AFL ties taken in the draft, eight from the Soul going to the Beijing Lions, who will be coached by Soul head coach Clint Dolezel.

The Soul's co-owner, Marty Judge, founded the China league.

Rattlers coach Kevin Guy said he was asked to coach in the league, but he turned it down.

The tricky part will be how will the AFL players get out of their contract to play in China after this season?

The players will have to be free agents to play in China, because, according to the CBA, they cannot participate in another league while being under contract with an AFL team and can't go on other league exempt because that designation is reserved for the NFL and Canadian Football League only. Those were the only leagues agreed to with the union through the CBA.

The AFL may be making an official statement soon about this.

Several of the Rattlers have multi-year contracts.

Glasper, one of the defensive catalysts behind the Rattlers' three-year reign of championships from 2012-14, said Wednesday after practice he wasn't sure whether he will play there with his focus right now on trying to get to Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh.

To be draft eligible, players had to do a tryout and register. About 500 players registered to be part of the draft.

"I'm not really thinking about it right now," Glasper said. "I might think about it after the season.

"I thought about it in the beginning. Right now, I'm just focused on Philly. I might do it. I might not do it. Right now, I just want to take care of this game."

This is the first professional football league in China.

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Guy was the coach, opposing Dolezel, in an exhibition game in China a few years ago to showcase the sport.

Guy said he is committed to Rattlers majority owner Ron Shurts year-round.

"We've got some things that we're doing with the Rattlers and outside of the Rattlers that me and him have going on outside the field that's not going to allow me to go," Guy said. "Plus, I already gave my word to my son that I'm coaching him this fall in his youth football.

"My name is on the Rattlers, and I'm about growing the Rattlers. And if you can't tell the difference the past six, seven years in this organization, that's what we're trying to do. Ron Shurts has given us what we need to be successful. I can't leave Ron when he's committed to me about building the Rattlers. I can't be worried about building China."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-460-1710. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.