WWE

Former XFL Commissioner Sues Vince McMahon Over Firing

LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 08:  WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon speaks at a news conference announcing the WWE Network at the 2014 International CES at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on January 8, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The network will launch on February 24, 2014 as the first-ever 24/7 streaming network, offering both scheduled programs and video on demand. The USD 9.99 per month subscription will include access to all 12 live WWE pay-per-view events each year. CES, the world’s largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 10 and is expected to feature 3,200 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to about 150,000 attendees.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ethan Miller

Former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck has filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was wrongfully fired by league owner Vince McMahon just before the professional football league shut its doors.

The lawsuit, filed last week in Connecticut, alleges the commissioner received a termination letter from Stamford-based Alpha Entertainment on April 9, four days before the football league filed for bankruptcy protection.

Luck, the father of former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and a long-time football executive, alleges McMahon breached their contract. Luck is seeking monetary damages, the amount of which has been redacted from public copies of the lawsuit, along with terms of Luck’s contract.

“During Mr. Luck’s time as Commissioner and CEO of the XFL, neither Alpha nor McMahon provided him with written notice of any purported belief that he was not executing his responsibilities with competence or diligence,” Andrew M. Zeitlin, Luck’s attorney, wrote in a motion filed Tuesday.

The Associated Press left messages Wednesday seeking comment from McMahon, the professional wrestling magnet and chief executive of Connecticut-based WWE, which backed the new league

His attorney Jerry McDevitt said in a statement on Tuesday that the reason’s for Luck’s termination were detailed in a letter to him, and McMahon would fight the lawsuit.

The XFL had eight franchises and played five games out of a planned 10-game schedule before cancelling the remainder of its season in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It drew decent TV ratings early on and had deals with ESPN and Fox.

The league suspended operations and laid off all of its employees on April 10.

Copyright The Associated Press
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