There have been rumors for some time that the Arena Football League wasn’t coming back after suspending operations in December.

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the 22-year-old league is on the brink of bankruptcy and that a shutdown is inevitable.

One of the 15 league teams from last season, the Georgia Force, ceased operations on Tuesday.

Shannon’s Shane Grice, the former ICC and Ole Miss standout, played several seasons for the Force, and was a second-team All-AFL selection in 2008.

Two other regional franchises didn’t make it to the end. The Nashville Kats folded in 2007 and the New Orleans VooDoo vanished last year.

An AFL offshoot, known as af2, is in the midst of its ArenaCup playoffs and expects to return in 2010.