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WWE’s Vince McMahon isn’t having a great week.
Not only was McMahon’s WWE pro wrestling business embittered in a storm of controversy that was created after an anonymous company employee alleged being forced by WWE officials to work during the coronavirus pandemic in Florida, but the 74-year-old also found himself being sued by recently fired XFL commissioner Oliver Luck just three days after McMahon’s short-lived professional football venture filed for bankruptcy.
Yikes.
On top of that, all this happened 19 years after McMahon’s original XFL endeavor operated for just one season in 2001 and also unceremoniously folded.
Per a New York Times report:
The lawsuit, filed by Oliver Luck last Thursday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, contends that McMahon breached the terms of Luck’s contract when McMahon’s company, Alpha Entertainment, fired him on April 9.
Lawsuit Contends Luck Was Fired Without Cause
The lawsuit alleges Luck was fired by McMahon without cause.
The 60-year-old was fired via letter just one day prior to the XFL suspending its operations and laying off its staff. As already noted, this was McMahon’s second attempt at creating a pro football league called the XFL, and the second time the venture failed miserably.
The XFL’s second incarnation seemed to have started well enough, but it was forced to cancel the remainder of its events just five weeks into the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Luck was XFL’s Top Executive
Luck was the fledgling league’s chief executive, and “wholly disputes and rejects the allegations set forth in the termination letter and contends they are pretextual and devoid of merit,” the lawsuit said per that same New York Times report.
The exact terms of Luck’s contract were redacted from the lawsuit. However, Luck was hired in May 2018 for a deal reportedly worth approximately $20 million at the time.
Regardless, per the XFL’s recent bankruptcy filing, Luck was not named as one of the XFL’s creditors.
Luck notwithstanding, the XFL reportedly owes between $10 million and $50 million to 1,000 to 5,000 total creditors.
Per ESPN, Luck’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, attorney’s fees and interest as well as a declaratory judgment against McMahon on fulfilling the terms of the contract.
XFL Not Expected to Return
That same ESPN report revealed the XFL was for sale as part of the bankruptcy proceedings, but that the league told employees who were part of the conference call announcing layoffs last week they should not expect the league to resurface in 2021.
Prior to joining the XFL, Luck served as the NCAA’s executive vice president for regulatory affairs. Luck is a former NFL quarterback and the father of retired all-pro quarterback Andrew Luck.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson