McMahon calls firing of XFL commissioner Luck justified

STAMFORD, Conn. — Lawyers for XFL owner Vince McMahon argued in court filings Wednesday that the wrestling magnate was justified in firing league CEO Oliver Luck last month just before the football operation shut down.

Luck filed a federal lawsuit last month over his April 9 termination, alleging McMahon breached their contract. Luck, the father of former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and a longtime football executive, is seeking monetary damages, the amount of which has been redacted from public copies of the lawsuit, along with terms of Luck’s contract.

Attorneys for McMahon, the chief executive of Connecticut-based WWE, which backed the new league, argued Wednesday that Luck was fired for cause, in part because he failed to devote all of his business time to his XFL duties.

He “effectively abandoned his responsibilities as the CEO and Commissioner of the XFL at a time when the league faced its most significant crisis — the threat to its business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” they wrote.

They also accuse Luck of improperly using a league cell phone and ignoring a directive from McMahon not to hire players with “questionable or problematic backgrounds.”

Luck’s attorney, Paul Dobrowski, has said the reasons Luck was given for his firing were without merit. He did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The XFL had eight franchises, including the St. Louis BattleHawks, and played five games out of a planned 10-game schedule before canceling the remainder of its season in March due to the 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 April 10 and filed for bankruptcy protection April 13.