Trial set for XFL lawsuit against Vince McMahon

Lawsuit filed by former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck against McMahon, Alpha Entertainment

March 6, 2022 42

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The ongoing saga relating to the XFL’s 2020 season will continue in the courtroom.

A trial date is in the books for the lawsuit between former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck and Vince McMahon.

According to a recent report from PWInsider, the lawsuit will go to trial on July 11, 2022.

Luck filed the lawsuit in April 2020 after the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is suing McMahon, Alpha Entertainment LLC, and World Wrestling Entertainment for wrongful termination.

Luck claims to be owed compensation totaling $23.8 million. This breaks down to a $5 million annual salary with a yearly $2 million bonus. It was initially a four-year contract, expiring in 2023. It is also inclusive of other damages and attorney fees.

McMahon is countersuing Luck, alleging that Luck had defied his orders when it came to signing players. Further allegations from McMahon state that Luck repeatedly shared confidential league information with NFL agent William Wilson, Luck’s brother-in-law.

McMahon and Alpha would file for the league’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2020. It was purchased four months later in a bankruptcy auction for $15 million by an ownership group comprising of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, ex-wife Dani Garcia, Gerry Cardinale, and Cardinale’s hedge fund RedBird Capital Partners.

The future of the XFL

The league was initially supposed to relaunch in 2022, but uncertainties with COVID-19 and not being able to get a deal with the Canadian Football League delayed the relaunch to 2023.

Training camp for the 2023 season will start on January 4, 2023, with the season-opening on February 18.

There are no details for TV deals in the 2023 reboot. However, ESPN and Fox each previously stated interest in broadcasting the games again. ABC also did express interest in a new TV deal

The XFL under new ownership recently collaborated with the NFL on “select innovation programs to further expand the game of football.” Those apparently would include experimentation of proposed rules, new equipment testing, and further development of prospective coaches and officials.

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Jake Leonard

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.