Former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden registered a victory over the NFL in court on Monday.
The Nevada Supreme Court, in a 5-2 ruling, decided that Gruden’s lawsuit against the league can proceed in civil court rather than being settled in an arbitration hearing to which the NFL could designate the arbitrator.
The decision backed the assertion by Gruden’s legal team that the NFL’s arbitration process didn’t apply to Gruden because he wasn’t a league employee at the time he wrote emails that are central to his lawsuit.
Gruden also contended that commissioner Roger Goodell should not be allowed to select an arbitrator when he is a party to the dispute.
Gruden’s attorney, Adam Hosmer-Henner, said in a statement, “We’re very pleased with the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision, not just for Coach Gruden but for all employees facing an employer’s unfair arbitration process. This victory further vindicates Coach Gruden’s reputation, and it clears the way to swiftly bringing him full justice and holding the NFL accountable.”
The NFL, which could appeal the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, did not publicly reply to the Monday ruling, multiple media outlets reported.
Gruden’s lawsuit alleges that the NFL leaked emails from him that included homophobic and misogynistic wording. The emails were sent during the 2010s when Gruden was working as an ESPN analyst and not employed by an NFL team.
The leaks occurred after the NFL found the emails as part of a separate investigation in the Washington Football Team in 2021, when Gruden was coaching the Raiders. Once the emails were made public, Gruden resigned as Las Vegas’ coach on Oct. 11, 2021.
He sued the league a month later, maintaining that “through a malicious and orchestrated campaign … the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell sought to destroy the career and reputation of Jon Gruden, the former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.”
–Field Level Media
