Jon Gruden scores notable legal victory against NFL

Dec 22, 2019; Carson, California, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden reacts before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden on Friday scored another legal win against the NFL.

U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Allf denied the NFL’s attempt to move Gruden’s lawsuit out of a public courtroom and into arbitration this week, according to A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports. Allf ruled 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 plans to appeal the ruling.

Gruden is suing the NFL, claiming that the league was the source of emails he sent that contained racist, sexist, and homophobic language. The emails, which led to Gruden’s ouster as Raiders coach, were acquired as part of the outside investigation into the Washington Commanders franchise. The league has denied that it had anything to do with leaking the emails to media sources. Someone else might actually be responsible for the leak.

The danger for the NFL is that public litigation would lead to discovery, meaning Gruden and the public could 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.

This is the second victory Gruden has scored against the NFL in the legal process. The NFL has consistently sought to move the case to arbitration. Their failure to do so is definitely a bit of a worry for the league.