It has been more than three years since Jon Gruden filed a lawsuit against the NFL over the way he was pushed out as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, and he has now scored a massive legal victory in the case.
The Nevada Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Gruden’s case against the NFL must be litigated in court rather than in arbitration, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The NFL will likely appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gruden stepped down as head coach of the Raiders in 2021 after some offensive emails that he sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. The emails were uncovered during the NFL’s investigation into the Washington Commanders regarding the franchise’s workplace environment.
Gruden then sued the NFL, claiming people within the league intentionally leaked the emails to force him out of a job.
The NFL filed a motion to dismiss the case and a motion to compel arbitration. A U.S. District Court judge denied both motions. The NFL argued that arbitration is necessary due to Gruden’s contract with the Raiders, while the former head coach’s legal team countered that Gruden is not bound to his contract since he resigned from his job.
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.
The NFL will want to do everything possible to avoid negative publicity that could arise through the discovery process. If Gruden continues to win the appeals, the NFL will be more motivated to settle the case.
A settlement would potentially pave the way for the 61-year-old Gruden to return to coaching in the NFL. The former Super Bowl champion has been spotted at various NFL training camps and has said numerous times that he wants to coach again. Though, Gruden recently expressed interest in a coaching job that is not in the NFL.
