new york went 8–4–1 in 1926, and withstood a challenge from an upstart american football league led by a team featuring grange. grange and his agent had formed the american football league and placed their flagship team, the yankees, in new york. grange's agent, c.c. pyle, had tried to get the franchise admitted into the nfl using yankee stadium but was blocked by mara, who asserted his territorial rights clause. angered, pyle swore revenge, saying "i am now ready to put the national football league, and mr. mara out of business." according to a story published by "the new york times" in december 1926, the giants lost over $50,000 during the season. grange's league lasted one season however, and was subsumed into the nfl. grange went back to playing for the bears before the 1928 season, and the yankees folded a year later.