Vince McMahon is accusing Andrew Luck‘s dad Oliver of abandoning his duties when it comes to being the XFL commissioner. According to ESPN, McMahon filed lawsuits against Oliver Luck in response to Luck filing a wrongful termination lawsuit filed on April 21. McMahon’s attorneys said the WWE chairman and owner fired Luck “for cause” and revealed three examples of failures to comply with XFL policies.
The first example listed is “gross neglect” of the job once the coronavirus pandemic began. McMahon said Luck “effectively abandoned his responsibilities” starting on March 13 by relocating to Indiana from Stanford, Connecticut, which is where XFL headquarters is located. The second example is the signing of wide receiver Antonio Callaway without McMahon’s approval. McMahon said he didn’t want to sign players with issues off the field. Callaway, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, only played in four games last year due to him being suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Callaway signed with the Tampa Bay Vipers but was placed on injured reserve before the season began. The last example is personal uses of an XFL-issued phone which was not mentioned in the termination letter. The phone is currently being investigated to see personal calls were made.
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“Oliver is thrilled that this can all be aired in the court of public opinion, because his position is that he was wrongfully terminated,” said Paul Dobrowski, one of Luck’s attorneys. McMahon fired Luck on April 9, one day before the XFL suspended operations and three days before it declared bankruptcy. In his lawsuit against McMahon says Luck “wholly disputes and rejects the allegations set forth in the Termination Letter and contends they are pretextual and devoid of merit.” Luck is seeking a $23.8 million judgment.
McMahon hired Luck to be the XFL commissioner in 2018. Luck signed a five-year contract where he would get a $5 million annual salary and $2 million bonus. At the time McMahon guaranteed Luck’s contract but now claims his actions invalidated it.
“The XFL will be a labor of love as I get to combine my experiences as a player and executive,” Luck told ESPN in an email as soon as he was hired. “I’m thrilled to have this unique opportunity to reimagine the game that has been a constant in my life for 40 years.”
