Jon Gruden’s attorneys argue NFL pressured Raiders to fire him

Aug 18, 2021; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Gruden believes the NFL pressured the Las Vegas Raiders to force him out as head coach last year, and those allegations have now been spelled out in legal documents.

The NFL’s lawyers have been pushing to settle Gruden’s lawsuit through arbitration rather than discovery, as they want to keep the case private. One judge already ruled against that last month on the grounds that Gruden’s contract with the Raiders limited arbitration to disputes directly between Gruden and the team, not the league as a whole. The NFL appealed the decision.

Court documents from the latest filing were obtained on Thursday by 8 News Now. In responding to the NFL’s appeal, Gruden’s attorneys claim the NFL pressured the Raiders to fire Gruden after emails Gruden sent that contained racist, sexist, and homophobic language were leaked roughly a year ago.

Gruden has claimed that the NFL was responsible for leaking the emails, which were acquired as part of the outside investigation into the Washington Commanders franchise. If his lawsuit against the league continues, the process of discovery will likely reveal exactly where the emails came from. That process would also allow the public to gain access to other materials obtained as part of the Washington investigation. The NFL has consistently refused to publicize the detailed findings of that investigation.

A recent report made it seem like someone else might be responsible for the Gruden leak, but the NFL obviously does not want the public to find out the answer.