Tom Cole's Brother Blasts WWE Over Tom's Suicide
Tom Cole, 50, took his own life on Friday. His brother, Lee Cole , announced the news on Twitter and called out Vince and Linda McMahon.
"My brother Tom Committed suicide a couple of hours ago," Lee wrote. "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"
Tom worked as a ring boy for WWE and accused employee Terry Joyal (Terry Garvin) and ring announcer Mel Phillips of sexual misconduct and harassment. Other men have come out and made similar allegations, and the scandal has been referred to as "the ring boy scandal".
Cole stated in multiple interviews that he rejected the sexual advances of Garvin, who was fired by the company following the scandal. Cole spoke with Wrestling Perspective in 1999 recalling Garvin offering him a WWE warehouse job when he was 19.
Cole alleged that Garvin played a pornographic video and offered to perform oral sex on him after being taken to his home and after a claim that his family was in Florida. Cole said he rejected Garvin's offer and spent the night sleeping in a van during a snowstorm.
The next morning, Garvin dropped him off at the warehouse. Former WWE ring announcer Mel Phillips Jr. then informed him later that day that Garvin no longer wanted him to work at the warehouse. Garvin resigned from the WWF following multiple sexual misconduct accusations and died on August 17, 1998 at age 61.
"We are talking about grown men that molested children for a long period of time in the WWE," Lee tweeted. "Did other men like my Brother Tom, kill themselves because of the pain. The McMahons covered for Patterson, Garvin and Phillips, who else did they cover for.
"My brother was a good man, a good father until the pain was to much to bear. Remember this company WWE would take underage children across state lines. He was a perfect victim, father not around and alcoholic mother. These men knew what to look for."
Cole reached an out of court settlement of WWE. The settlement included paying for his education. However, when Cole was not doing well in school, he informed Linda McMahon and asked for his job back. The company dismissed him, and he went on unemployment. He said the company challenged it on five or six occasions, but he won each appeal. Linda attended a hearing and took issue with him sharing details of being molested and sexually harassed.
David Bixenspan has written about the ring boy scandal for Business Insider. The story includes a statement from WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt. He described allegations that the McMahons were aware of the accusations against Phillips and continued to employ him as being "outlandish" and "classic libel."
You can view Lee Cole's tweets below:
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
— Lee Cole III (@leeroycole) February 13, 2021
We are talking about grown men that molested children for a long period of time in the WWE. Did other men like my Brother Tom, kill themselves because of the pain. The McMahons covered for Patterson, Garvin and Phillips, who else did they cover for.
— Lee Cole III (@leeroycole) February 13, 2021
My brother was a good man, a good father until the pain was to much to bear. Remember this company WWE would take underage children across state lines. He was a perfect victim, father not around and alcoholic mother. These men knew what to look for.
— Lee Cole III (@leeroycole) February 13, 2021