The Baltimore Blackbirds had trouble drawing fans at 1st Mariner Arena during the season, and now the players and coaches are paying for it.

They have not been paid for their final two games of the American Indoor Football Association season, which concluded in early June, The Examiner confirmed Monday.

“None of the players have been paid for the last two games of the season,” said John Wolfe, vice president and director of corporate operations.

The Blackbirds’ inaugural season ended June 1. They finished 1-12 and drew approximately 2,200 fans at each home game.

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The players and coaches were supposed to receive their final paycheck at a meeting this past Sunday, a sum of approximately $14,000, which was to be distributed among them. However, Austin did not pay anyone, Wolfe said.

“We did finish the season with some debt. We’ve been working on getting it paid off,” Wolfe said. “We’ll definitely have them squared away soon. Definitely by the end of the summer.”

Wolfe said the players and coaches will be paid by Sept. 1.

In the team meeting, which Wolfe said some players did not attend, Austin thanked the players and coaches for their cooperation and understanding for the lapse in compensation.

Austin could not be reached for comment.

When Baltimore’s final road game of the season in Tallahassee, Fla., was moved from May 27 to May 28, with four days’ notice, both teams were forced to share the arena’s rental fee for the both days.

“We had a snag the last two weeks,” Wolfe said. “Things ran smoothly until the last five days of the season.”

Wolfe did not mention the extent of the team’s debt, saying it was “very manageable” and on “the minor side of things.”

Baltimore head coach Chris Simpson is confident the players and coaches will receive their game checks.

“The priority has got to be [paying] the coaches and the players,” he said. “The players are upset, and I don’t blame them. There are concerns, but if there’s a conspiracy out there, I don’t know of it. It is what it is. You can’t draw water from a dry well. It’s not all there. They’re working trying to get it. It’s an unfortunate situation.”