I wonder wrote:
Does anyone think that Johnson doesn’t really believe there will be a second season, but he needs to say it publicly in order to get investors for fill the league’s debts? I imagine his “ideal” scenario at this point is that he gets enough money to pay the athletes and then has a season where the league only loses a minimal amount of money and they shut it down.
Johnson is desperate. He'll say anything at this point to get an investor to give him enough money to pay all the athletes the money he owes them.
Once all the athletes are paid he'll go back to the investor and tell him "Ooops, there won't be a season two."