Last night word broke that long-time WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt is retiring from practicing law. The famed lawyer has been representing WWE and Vince McMahon since 1987 on a variety of different cases. As of late, he has been working with WWE’s legal team on an antitrust suit that has been filed against them by Major League Wrestling. In an official statement that he released to Wrestlenomics confirming the news, he noted that he is turning 73 soon and expects the case to roll into 2025, at the least.
On today’s Haus of Wrestling episode, I spoke with WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long about his personal interactions with McDevitt.
“I had a chance to meet him one time,” Long recalled. “It was him and Vince, I think they were walking down the hall, and I think they said something to me; Vince was joking with me about something. Anyway, I ended up going over speaking to him and Jerry. What a nice guy, man, and a great lawyer. He’s a guy that if you ever get in any trouble, you certainly want him to be the guy to be in the courtroom with you.”
Infamously, McDevitt was instrumental in helping Vince McMahon fend off the federal government in the mid-90s when they tried to pin steroid trafficking charges on him. Long didn’t mince words when it came to recalling the importance of McMahon’s having McDevitt in his corner during that ordeal.
“The haters were certainly out there trying to get Vince, and thank God Jerry was right there,” he stated. “Like I said, a hell of a lawyer. He’s the guy you’d want on your side.”
McDevitt and McMahon’s relationship has extended beyond the courtroom, and over the past many decades, the two have become close friends, something he told me personally in an interview we conducted a few years ago. As he begins to sunset his career, it is interesting to think how that plays on McMahon’s psyche, as the billionaire is around the same age and recently had a taste of retirement.
“I think Vince and Jerry we’ll be friends forever, for the rest of their lives,” Long said. “With Vince, I don’t know, man. I don’t think he’s gonna ever retire. Vince is a workaholic, okay? Vince will probably be right there at the end of his time; he’ll be right there in Gorilla. Okay? Vince is a workaholic, and I like that about him because that’s how you get things done. That’s how you become a billionaire; you got to work. Work your ass off, and that’s what Vince does.”
My full conversation with Long, as well as my WWE Money In The Bank media junket interview with Santos Escobar, is now available as part of today’s Haus of Wrestling episode on Premier Streaming Network. It is also available on the Haus of Wrestling podcast feed courtesy of all major podcast platforms.
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