John Laurinaitis has been sent home during the recent investigation of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. Bruce Prichard has been named Interim Head of Talent Relations.
According to a report on Fightful, WWE’s Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis has been placed on administrative leave stemming from the recent investigation by the WWE Board of Directors of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
Bruce Prichard, who has been serving as the Executive Director of both Raw & Smackdown, will replace Johnny in his absence.
The investigation has uncovered that Vince McMahon paid $3,000,000 to a WWE paralegal who he allegedly had an affair with. The payout was for a non-disclosure agreement.
For those who don’t know, a non-disclosure agreement is a legally binding contract that establishes a confidential relationship. The party or parties signing the agreement agree that sensitive information they may obtain will not be made available to any others. An NDA may also be referred to as a confidentiality agreement.
The $3,000,000 was paid out of Vince McMahon’s personal money, which is not a violation of his duties as Chairman and CEO of WWE. The paralegal eventually went on to be John Laurinaitis’ assistant.
The Board of Directors uncovered potential misconduct by Laurinaitis during their investigation, with details being vague at this time.
The Wall Street Journal, who broke the original story, noted that The Board’s investigation found numerous NDA’s with claims of potential misconduct involving John Laurinaitis & Vince McMahon. The payments are rumored to be in the millions of dollars, but it is unknown how many and who the employees are.
It’s interesting to note that many believe that John Laurinaitis may end up being the “fall guy” for Vince McMahon in this particular situation. Stay tuned for more information on this developing story.