The former WWE Board member who headed up the investigation into Vince McMahon has denied claims made by Janel Grant.
In April 2022, WWE launched an internal investigation into Vince McMahon over a payment of $3 million made to a former employee who signed an NDA relating to her relationship with the company’s then-chairman. The investigation unearthed more NDAs surrounding claims of misconduct against both McMahon and former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis.
The investigation continued for several months, and during that time Vince McMahon entered a short-lived retirement. That November, it was revealed that McMahon had repaid the company a total of $17.4 million in relation to the investigation.
McMahon made a shock return to the company in January 2023, forcing his way back onto the Board and spearheading the sale of the company to Endeavor later that year. At the time of the sale, Endeavor said McMahon’s continued leadership was “critical” and when the merger of WWE and UFC was completed, he was named the Executive Chairman of the new umbrella company, TKO. However, in the months since, his power waned substantially, with Triple H taking over creative control of WWE while Nick Khan became the company’s president.
Former WWE Employee Janel Grant Slams “Sham” Vince McMahon Investigation
On January 25th, 2024 news broke that one of the former employees subject to an NDA, Janel Grant, filed a new lawsuit against McMahon. The suit contains horrifying allegations of sexual assault, emotional abuse, and sex trafficking by both McMahon and the former Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis.
In the lawsuit, Grant claimed the 2022 investigation into McMahon was a “sham” as the investigating committee “never bothered to interview” her.
Now, Jeff Speed, the former board member who headed up the committee has responded to the claim. In an email sent to the New York Times, Speed said he remained confident in the investigation and claimed they had reached out to Grant.
“I remain confident in our investigation which included outreach to Ms. Grant and engagement with her lawyer.”
However, Speed finished by saying that although he recognises the “horrific nature of the allegations” he is unable to comment on what was and was not learned during the earlier investigation.
In light of the lawsuit, McMahon has resigned from his position as TKO Executive Chairman, although he plans to fight the allegations.