When quarterback AJ McCarron announced his decision to leave the NFL for the newly revamped XFL, it seemed like a real head scratcher. McCarron sat on the bench last year as the backup quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals and was reportedly earning around $4 million in his last full season. He is estimated to make a 98.5 percent pay cut with his decision to move to the XFL, where he will make an estimated $60,000 per season. However crazy such a decision appears, the quarterback revealed a very personal reason for the change- he wanted his kids to see him play. “My 6-year-old loves watching tape of me on YouTube. That’s a big reason I chose to return this way,” he told The Seattle Dispatch. “I probably could’ve tried to come back with an NFL team and had a chance to probably made bigger money, but no one knows what the future holds. I’m enjoying this, and it’s a great way to create some memories for me and my boys.” After a he led the St. Louis Battlehawks to a 2-0 season, he expressed his gratitude for being able to play. “Ever since I came out of college, I’ve been counted out a little bit. It’s just fun to come out here and play, I missed playing. Not always just being a backup — and that’s a great living, it really is, and I absolutely love it — but I love playing. This is special, and I can’t thank the XFL enough,” he said.

The move earned him the praise of Dwayne Johnson, who is part of a group that purchased the XFL in a $15 million deal. “Takes less money signing with us over the NFL because he wanted his little boys to see him play. Now he’s 2-0 and led his team to back to back exciting last minute wins. I’d say he’s creating some memories for his boys,” Johnson tweeted. He also stated it meant a lot to him “personally.” Johnson often speaks on the importance of fatherhood and prioritizing his family. The former WWE star and actor previously discussed how he had put off the idea of a presidential run due to the ages of his two youngest girls. “I love our country and everyone in it. I also love being a daddy. And that’s the most important thing to me, is being a daddy. I know what it was like to be on the road and be so busy that I was absent for a lot of years when my first daughter [was] growing up. At this critical time in [my youngest daughters’ lives], that’s what the presidency would do. So, my number one priority is my daughters,” he told “CBS Sunday Morning” last October.

Johnson wasn’t the only one praising McCarron. Fans reacted mostly positively to McCarron’s announcement that he would be joining the XFL. “Football best played when you can play! Go where u can play!” said one fan. Another fan stated he was sure McCarron’s finances were in order for the change. “People in the replies are acting like he fumbled the bag with this move. Dude won two natties and married Miss Alabama all while in college, finances are not gonna be an issue for the family.”