On March 15, 2023, TSN reporter Dave Naylor revealed that Schooner Sports and Entertainment (SSE) "is no longer involved in pursuing a team for Atlantic Canada".

[14] On November 23, two days before the 106th Grey Cup, Maritime Football Ltd. and commissioner Ambrosie announced the new team would be called the 'Atlantic Schooners,' the same name adopted by the ill-fated conditional franchise of the early 1980s that folded without playing a game.

On December 6, the staff of the HRM recommended the rejection of the proposed Shannon Park location in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, citing a lack of transportation infrastructure.

[25][26] On April 20, 2020, it was announced that SSE's lead spokesperson, Anthony LeBlanc, had joined the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators as the team's president of business operations.

[25] On August 17, 2020, after several initial delays, the CFL fully cancelled the 2020 season, further setting back progress made through the planned 2020 Touchdown Atlantic game in Halifax.

In July 2022, SSE founding partner Gary Drummond told Murray McCormick of the Regina Leader-Post that the group did not have the "funding and the government participation that we require" and that it was "not in place because we just haven’t had an opportunity to meet with them".

[33] In July 2022, Halifax mayor Michael Savage stated that "the idea of an outside the core of the city major stadium with 25,000 seats is nowhere, that’s just not on the books right now — there is no political appetite for it".

[34] In January 2023, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie proposed using a longer term temporary stadium in Halifax, such as the Wanderers Grounds, to house an expansion team.

[35] On March 10, 2023, Ambrosie stated in a radio interview that he and CFL chief operating officer David Goldstein are "going to focus really hard on our expansion project".

[36] On March 15, 2023, TSN reporter Dave Naylor revealed that Schooner Sports and Entertainment (SSE) "is no longer involved in pursuing a team for Atlantic Canada".