Updated — Even quicker than it came to life, the Alliance of American Football — and with it, the Birmingham Iron — has gone on life support.

The first word came Tuesday morning, after a report from the Pro Football Talk blog at NBC Sports that the league would suspend operations by the end of the day.

AAF co-Founder Bill Polian confirmed several hours after the initial reports that the league would suspend operations as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

“I am extremely disappointed to learn that Tom Dundon has decided to suspend all football operations of the Alliance of American Football,” Polian said in a prepared statement first reported by ESPN.

AAF Chairman Tom Dundon threatened to pull the plug in comments he made to USA Today last week. He complained then about a lack of cooperation from the National Football League Players Association in allowing the AAF to use players on NFL rosters for developmental purposes, much as minor league baseball teams use players sent down from their Major League Baseball parent clubs. Read more.

Earlier Reporting on Birmingham’s Sports Scene

Majoring in the Minors: Birmingham’s Booming With New Pro Sports Teams