🏈 The Soul’s chaotic comeback | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to a new week. Did you get outside to enjoy the beautiful weather yesterday? You have another chance today: Expect mostly sunny skies and high temps near 88. Spring who?

This weekend was supposed to be the Philadelphia Soul’s big comeback to the Arena Football League, but instead, the chaotic season opener included a replacement team and a last-minute head coach switch-up. And a nonprofit aims to rebuild Tun Tavern, believed to be the birthplace of the Marines, as a tavern, restaurant, and museum.

Plus, the pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of Pennsylvania grew over the weekend while campus police announced plans to check IDs and protesters assessed who was willing to get arrested.

Here’s what you need to know today.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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The Philadelphia Soul made their official return to the Arena Football League, nearly five years after the league declared bankruptcy and ceased operations. But this weekend’s debut was ... messy, to put it lightly.

Run it back: The AFL announced last summer that the Soul would be one of 16 teams to participate in the league’s 2024 relaunch. Then, the team’s venture group owner backed out just a month before the start of the season, prompting an ownership takeover by the AFL itself. On the eve of the team’s first game, things appeared to totally fall apart.

Give the play-by-play: Head coach Patrick Pimmel stepped down on Friday, and his replacement was announced just hours before the Soul’s Saturday game in New Orleans. That came after, according to one player’s agent, the team had been put up at a seedy, Philly-area Super 8 motel — but was kicked out in the middle of the night as the lodging bill went unpaid.

The season kickoff: Most of the team’s players didn’t even make it on the plane to their game against the Louisiana VooDoo, after they arrived at the airport to find no Soul coaches or staff. But the Philly Soul did technically play the VooDoo — because replacement players from another indoor league took the field in Soul jerseys.

... Wait, what? “Louisiana is playing the Philly team. But that is not the Philadelphia team, nor coaching staff. They just made another head coach today. It’s a team from another league that’s gonna put on our jerseys and play as us,” said Malik Honeycutt, a Soul wide receiver, in a video he posted to Instagram on Saturday. “It’s crazy,” he repeated over and over.

Here are the full details on the wild, sudden breakdown.

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, which means one thing: draft grades and analysis.

If you have questions about the Eagles’ draft class, The Inquirer’s resident draft expert Devin Jackson has answers, starting today at noon ET.

Ahead of America’s 250th birthday, a new — and very old — tavern may be coming to what’s currently an Old City parking lot.

The colonial-era Tun Tavern is believed to be the birthplace of groups such as the U.S. Marine Corps and the Freemasons. Now, a nonprofit is working to recreate the establishment just a few blocks from its original location, on Second Street just below Market.

It’s about honoring Philadelphia’s history: “For one little building that could only hold about 100-some people, an awful lot happened there,” a Tun Tavern Legacy Foundation board member said.

The modern Tun would be a tavern and restaurant, with a museum featuring artifacts and documents on display. But first, fundraising and a trademark fight present challenges. The Inquirer’s Mike Klein has the full story.

This Jersey Shore town became the latest to enact nighttime curfews for teens.

A) Ocean City

B) North Wildwood

C) Avalon

D) Brigantine

Think you know? Check your answer.

🤖 Cheering: The winners of the world’s top robotics prize, Philly’s own Central High RoboLancers.

👱‍♀️ Singing: “Style” along with the members of Swift Steps, a local Taylor Swift-themed recovery group.

🪨 Booking: A weekend getaway at the renovated, modernist Lynn Hall in McKean County.

The son of this Hall of Famer was just drafted to play for the Eagles.

EARTH JITTER MORE

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Pete Liston, who solved Sunday’s anagram: McGillin’s, a.k.a. Philly’s oldest-operating bar.

📬 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, or something that made you fall in love with Philly over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Gerry Frank, who describes an especially exciting Phillies experience:

My daughter scored tickets to Game 3 of the 2022 World Series vs. the Houston Astros. It was my first World Series game. Sitting in the stands with 45,000 screaming fans was amazing. It was rumored that the noise registered on the seismograph at the airport.* The Phillies clubbed five home runs and won 7-0. We all thought we would be meeting again on Broad Street for the parade. Alas, that was not to be, but it still made me proud to be a Philadelphian and a lifelong Phillies fan.

*Not so, but still fun.

Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. See you again tomorrow!

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