Tom Cole, Accuser From 90's WWF Sex Scandal Commits Suicide

Tom Cole, the ring boy at the center of an alleged WWF sexual abuse scandal has passed away due to suicide, according to his brother Lee Cole on Twitter.

Cole worked for WWF in the 80s and early 90s, later filing a $1.6 million lawsuit against Titan Sports which alleged that then Director of Wrestling Operations Terry Garvin (Terry Joyal) sexually harassed him. It was also alleged that Mel Phillips had a fascination with Cole's feet, something WWE was aware of at the time. Cole also claimed WWE Hall Of Famer Pat Patterson groped him.

The lawsuit additionally revealed that Cole had said he was driven to the WWE official’s house where he was asked to smoke marijuana, snort cocaine, and have sex. Cole is reported to have refused the offers and was fired from the company the next day.

The alleged offenses took place between the ages of 16 and 19.

Vince McMahon denied having any knowledge of the alleged incidents during an appearance on Larry King Live in 1992. However, things would gain further mainstream attention when New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick published a column around the same time that would claim that McMahon was aware of it and fired Phillips for taking an "unnatural" interest in young boys before Linda McMahon rehired him.

The column led to a lawsuit in which McMahon went after Mushnick with the defamation case being settled in 1994, Mushnick or the Post didn't admit any error.

Cole would eventually come to an agreement with WWE which would see them hire him back on a $55,000 salary and try him out as a ring announcer. Cole believed WWE only brought him back into the fold to gain an insight into the investigation being carried out on them by The Department of Justice and a federal grand jury. 

Cole is said to have told Linda McMahon that he would not be divulging information anymore and just wanted to do his job.

Cole’s settlement with the WWE would see them pay for all of his education with a clause that if he dropped out of classes or didn't make satisfactory progress at college he would lose his job. Linda McMahon reportedly fired Cole after he failed to attend most of his classes, reportedly telling him, "The opportunity of a lifetime is a terrible thing to waste."

Cole claimed he couldn't handle school due to the pressures of the investigation and all he had been through and was encouraged by his older brother Lee Cole to go public. Linda would claim that Lee was negatively influencing his younger brother into an attack against WWE.

"Tom has been and continues to be manipulated by his brother Lee Cole," Linda McMahon told the Charleston Post and Courier in 1993.

The company would later claim that Cole was fired for nonpayment of a company cellphone bill.

Tom's death by suicide was confirmed by his brother Lee on Twitter.

He tweeted:

"My brother Tom Committed suicide a couple of hours ago. Vince Mc Mahon and his wife Linda let child molesters into their companies years ago and did everything possible to cover up what they did to my brother. I hope you can sleep good at night Vince. Our family suffers. Thank U"

My brother Tom Committed suicide a couple of hours ago. Vince Mc Mahon and his wife Linda let child molesters into their companies years ago and did everything possible to cover up what they did to my brother. I hope you can sleep good at night Vince. Our family suffers. Thank U

— leecole3 (@leeroycole) February 13, 2021

WrestlingNewsSource.com sends out our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Tom Cole.

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