When you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.
Oliver Luck is suing Vince McMahon. The former NFL and NCAA executive (also ex-quarterback and AD at West Virginia University) was commissioner of McMahon’s XFL relaunch, which lasted all of five weeks.
McMahon had promised a lengthy commitment to the XFL. But he didn’t even match the previous year’s Alliance of American Football, which lasted eight weeks.
Luck had a five-year contract worth $25 million. $20m was guaranteed. But Luck got terminated when the XFL shut down, then declared bankruptcy.
Luck is owed a lot of cash, as are plenty of people employed by the XFL. They won’t get it.
Luck is, by all accounts, an honorable man. He had no chance in the lion’s den.
McMahon has failed at everything he’s tried but wrestling. The pandemic is blamed for the XFL folding. But TV ratings were plummeting. Any buzz quickly disappeared. The pandemic was McMahon’s excuse to cut his losses and get out. WWE’s profit margin is still huge despite having to do TV shows in an empty arena. But McMahon used the pandemic as an excuse to fire or furlough dozens of WWE employees last week.
Two lessons should be learned:
*Nobody wants more football beyond the NFL and college ball. They especially don’t want spring football.
*Never trust Vince McMahon.
Read Jim Ross’ new book, “Under the Black Hat.” (Ross will be on my show Friday.) Ross is wrestling’s greatest play-by-play man ever. He was a valued, versatile and loyal WWE employee. McMahon ***t all over Ross every chance he got.
McMahon is a bully and a bad guy.
Luck lied down with dogs. He woke up with fleas. No surprise.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.