April 21 (UPI) — Former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck is suing owner Vince McMahon in federal court, citing wrongful termination after the wrestling mogul’s decision to shutter the spring football league.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed last week in U.S. District Court in Connecticut and obtained by USA Today Sports and the New York Times on Tuesday, Luck received a letter of termination on April 9, one day before McMahon laid off most of the XFL’s employees and three days before the league filed for bankruptcy.
The lawsuit contends that McMahon, who is the chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment and the owner of Alpha Entertainment, breached the terms of Luck’s XFL contract when he was fired earlier this month.
“Mr. Luck wholly disputes and rejects the allegations set forth in the Termination Letter and contends they are pretextual and devoid of merit,” the lawsuit claims.
Much of the complaint filed last week is redacted because of confidentiality agreements in Luck’s contract. The suit seeks unspecified damages, attorney’s fees and interest and a declaratory judgment on fulfilling the terms of the contract.
Jerry McDevitt, an attorney for McMahon, said in a statement Tuesday that the reasoning behind Luck’s termination was outlined in a letter to him and McMahon planned to fight the lawsuit.
“As to the lawsuit he filed, his allegations will be disputed and the position of Mr. McMahon will be set forth in our response to his lawsuit,” McDevitt said.
The XFL debuted in February after two years in development. The eight-team league completed five weeks of games before suspending and ultimately canceling its season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
