Days after being accused of sex trafficking and sexual abuse, Vince McMahon has resigned from all positions with WWE and its parent company TKO, a person familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital on Friday.
“I stand by my previous statement that Mr. Grant's lawsuit is a lie, a far-fetched and salacious fabrication, and a persistent distortion of the truth,” McMahon said in a statement. “I look forward to vigorously defending myself against these baseless charges and clearing my name.
“However, in honor of the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business, its board members, shareholders, partners, constituents, and all of the employees and superstars who have helped make WWE the world leader it is today, I I have decided to resign from my position as Executive Chairman and the TKO Board of Directors, effective immediately. ”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Vince McMahon attends press conference to announce WWE WrestleMania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 2013 (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
Lawsuit against McMahon filed in connecticut Janelle Grant said in a 67-page complaint Thursday that McMahon lured her into the company with promises of a bright career, but from 2019 to 2022, he and the people he called his “friends” She claimed that she had been sexually exploited.
According to the suit, Grant signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in which McMahon agreed to pay her $3 million in 2022 in exchange for not disclosing or disparaging their relationship. But in her lawsuit, she claims she continued to be harassed. The lawsuit seeks to invalidate the NDA under the Speak Out Act, award unspecified damages, and seek further relief “as the court deems just and appropriate.”
WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on April 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Campoare/USA Today Sports)
Grant joined WWE in June 2019 after working as a building janitor, months after his parents' deaths. Text McMahon The complaint says it was to see if he would talk to her. Grant says in the lawsuit that her first encounter with McMahon was the beginning of a three-year “nightmare.”
In the complaint, McMahon is accused of defecating on the plaintiff during a threesome and using a sex toy that caused the plaintiff's injury.
Hulk Hogan appears on video at son's DUI arrest in Florida
According to the complaint, McMahon told Grant in January 2022 that his wife, Linda McMahon, had discovered their relationship and pressured him to sign an NDA.
Grant now “lives with extreme anxiety and depression, and is unable to leave his home for weeks at a time due to fear and PTSD,” the lawsuit states.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon speaks during the WWE Network Announcement Press Conference at the 2014 International CES at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on January 8, 2014 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A spokesperson for Mr. McMahon told Fox News Digital: “This lawsuit is full of lies, far-fetched and salacious fabrications, and persistent distortions of the truth.” “He will defend himself vigorously.”
McMahon bought WWE, then the World Wrestling Federation, in 1982 and created the empire it is today.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital X sports broadcast and subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
