Former WWE boss Vince McMahon allowed to enter pretrial program in reckless driving case

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STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon has been allowed to enter a pretrial program to resolve a reckless driving charge stemming from a crash this summer in Connecticut.

A state Superior Court judge ruled Thursday that McMahon could enter the program if he made a $1,000 charitable contribution and only drove if properly licensed and insured. If he does that, the reckless driving charge and another charge of following too closely will be dismissed in one year.

McMahon was accused of causing a July 24 crash on the Merritt Parkway in Westport that wrecked his Bentley and damaged two other cars, state police said. No one was injured in the crash, and the other drivers did not object to McMahon's application for the pretrial program.

The police report said McMahon was driving northbound on the parkway, also known as Route 15, when he rear-ended a BMW and crashed into wooden guardrail. A car traveling in the southbound lanes struck debris from the crash that flew over the guardrail.

McMahon did not speak during the brief hearing. His attorney, Mark Sherman, said afterward that “not every car accident is a crime. That’s what happened here, an accident,.”

McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, last year, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.

McMahon bought what was then the World Wrestling Federation in 1982 and transformed it from a regional wrestling company into a worldwide phenomenon. Besides running the company with his wife, Linda, who is now the U.S. education secretary, he also performed at WWE events as himself.