LAS VEGAS — Jon Gruden, the former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, is set to have his lawsuit against the NFL thoroughly reviewed by the Nevada Supreme Court. This lawsuit stems from the unauthorized release of emails that led to Gruden’s resignation from his coaching position in 2021.
The state’s supreme court has announced that all seven justices will revisit the issue, although there will be no scheduled oral arguments. This comes after a previous decision made by a panel of justices on May 14, which ruled 2-1 in favor of dismissing Gruden’s case. In a subsequent action on July 1, the same panel declined Gruden’s request for reconsideration, again by a 2-1 vote.
The earlier ruling allowed the NFL to transfer the civil lawsuit into arbitration, which could be managed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, a defendant in the case. Two justices argued that Gruden was aware of the league’s use of arbitration for dispute resolution when he signed his contract with the Raiders. In contrast, the dissenting justice raised concerns, labeling it “outrageous” for Goodell to oversee arbitration in a matter where he is implicated as a defendant.
Representatives for Gruden, Goodell, and the NFL did not provide immediate comments regarding the latest developments. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy also chose not to offer any statements.
In his lawsuit, Gruden contends that Goodell and the NFL pressured the Raiders franchise into firing him by leaking emails that included offensive remarks related to race, gender, and sexual orientation. These comments were made by Gruden during his tenure as an ESPN analyst before he returned to coaching the Raiders and ultimately resigned in November 2021.
The NFL has taken the matter to the state supreme court following attempts by the league, in May 2022, to dismiss Gruden’s lawsuit or to arrange for out-of-court discussions to be led by Goodell—a move the court rejected. The judge referred to Gruden’s claims that only his emails were leaked and suggested that a jury might find this selective disclosure indicative of “specific intent” to harm Gruden.
Gruden had been the Raiders’ head coach when the organization transitioned from Oakland, California, to Las Vegas in 2020. He is pursuing financial reparations, asserting that the targeted release of his emails and their dissemination by major publications like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times devastated his career and led to lost endorsement opportunities.
Previously, Gruden had a long coaching career, spanning from 1998 to 2001 with the Raiders, followed by a successful seven-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he secured a Super Bowl championship in 2003. After serving as a television commentator for ESPN for several years, he returned to coach the Raiders in 2018, only to resign three years later under these controversial circumstances.
