Nick Piccone
The coronavirus pandemic has completely shut down everyday life as we know it. The XFL was an unfortunate victim of the pandemic, and through a temporary shutdown to a complete cessation of operations, the league is currently looking to be sold by its owner, Vince McMahon.
The XFL commissioner, Oliver Luck, was also a victim, as McMahon fired him before reportedly looking to sell his latest football incarnation. According to the Sports Business Journal, new federal court filings in Connecticut cite McMahon’s lawyers stating Luck was fired for “gross neglect” during the early portion of the coronavirus pandemic. The entire country basically shut down in the middle of or close to the end of March. On April 9, Luck was formally dismissed as XFL commissioner. These are the reasons McMahon says he was fired:
• Luck left the XFL’s Connecticut HQ for his home in Indiana on March 13 and “disengage[d] from the XFL’s operations,” according to the filing. McMahon further claims Luck did not inform him of his intentions. “Put simply, at the very moment when his leadership as CEO was needed most, Luck did not devote substantially all of his business time to the XFL, as required by his contract.” In his affidavit, Luck says he continued to work remotely on XFL matters after the XFL closed its offices on March 15: “During this time, I communicated with McMahon via text messages, McMahon’s preferred method of communication. McMahon was well aware of my efforts as evidenced by his responses to my text messages.”
• Luck signed Callaway, a former Browns WR, to a draft contract promising a $125,000 signing bonus without informing McMahon, even though he was aware that McMahon asked for final approval rights to any player with a questionable background. The filing continues on that “Luck failed to promptly terminate Callaway in accordance with McMahon’s instructions,” and then Callaway injured his knee in a Tampa Bay Vipers practice, which triggered medical costs and worker’s compensation costs for the startup. “The cost to the XFL of this episode of gross negligence was in excess of six figures,” McMahon’s filing reads. Luck says the signing of Callaway did not violate any XFL policies: “Indeed, to the contrary, McMahon had instructed me to upgrade the quality of receivers in the XFL. The signing of Callaway, which I informed McMahon (without any objection by him) prior to the signing, did just that. And, when McMahon told me, during the week of January 26, 2020, that he wanted Callaway terminated, I promptly followed his instruction. He never played a single down in the XFL.”
• Luck used his league-issued iPhone for personal matters, according to McMahon’s lawyers. Luck did not address the claim in his new affidavit. “It’s just silly,” said Luck’s lawyer Paul Dobrowski, adding that none of these cases triggered a formal notice to Luck before his firing.
Luck is now seeking what McMahon promised him – $23.8 million, not including whatever he’s made since being appointed the commissioner. The personal guarantee from McMahon – there goes that word again – is why Luck is suing for money owed.
Once again, this time around the XFL turned some heads. Not necessarily with the on-field product, but the sports betting, on-field interviews after plays, mic’ed up coaches, and other innovations. This shutdown was no fault of their own, and many, including myself, became excited to watch a football league that seemed to have a lot of thought behind it to overcome obstacles in the beginning. Of course, no business could’ve prepared for a pandemic of this nature.
It’ll be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out. If the courts find McMahon’s reasons for firing were valid, then Luck is out of… luck.
You can follow Nick Piccone on Twitter (@nickpiccone) and e-mail him at [email protected]. You can read his pro wrestling articles on PhillyVoice here.
Subscribe to The Straight Shooters (@ShootersRadio) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, Player FM, SoundCloud, and wherever else you get your podcasts!
Subscribe, rate, and review all Philly Influencer podcasts here. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.