Gruden Seeks Truth in Nevada Court Over Alleged NFL Email Leak
Jon Gruden expressed his desire for the truth to come out in a Nevada court. The former Raiders coach seeks answers about the possible leak of emails to the media by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league, before his resignation in 2021.Gruden blames the NFL for the leak of the emails, which led the league to pressure the Raiders to force him to resign when the team had a 3-1 record.“I am eager for the truth to come to light and I want to make sure that what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden stated.
Jon Gruden
Gruden’s case came a day after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in his favor in his lawsuit, alleging that the NFL leaked damaging emails to the media before his resignation in October 2021. In a 5-2 decision, the judges did not determine whether the league leaked Gruden’s emails, which contained racist, sexist, and anti-gay comments. However, they considered the league’s decision to force Gruden’s complaint into a closed-door arbitration overseen by Goodell as “inconceivable.” An NFL spokesperson announced that the league will request a new hearing from the Nevada Supreme Court. If unsuccessful, the next likely step would be an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. Neither Gruden nor his lawyer, Adam Hosmer-Henner, revealed whether they are inclined to reach a settlement with the NFL. Hosmer-Henner expressed his satisfaction with the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision to prevent Goodell from overseeing an arbitration process when he is the defendant in a lawsuit.“The league’s actions interrupted the entire season. We were leading the division at the time and it completely took me and the team by surprise,” Gruden added.
Jon Gruden
The five justices of the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that, as a former employee, Gruden should not be subject to a provision of the NFL Constitution that requires arbitration for such complaints. Gruden’s leaked emails were sent in 2011, while the former coach was working for ESPN. Hosmer-Henner praised the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision, saying that it is not only a victory for Gruden but for all employees facing “an unfair arbitration process by the employer”. The Gruden lawsuit alleges that Goodell and the league pressured Raiders owner Mark Davis to fire Gruden by leaking emails containing offensive comments that Gruden sent about Goodell and others in the NFL. Gruden resigned from the Raiders in October 2021. Gruden won in district court. The NFL appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court after a state judge in Las Vegas in May 2022 rejected the league’s offers to dismiss Gruden’s lawsuit entirely or to order out-of-court settlement talks that could be overseen by Goodell. A year ago, a three-judge panel of the Nevada Supreme Court decided that the league could move Gruden’s civil case to an arbitration that could be overseen by Goodell. Gruden’s lawyers obtained a full hearing of the seven judges of the Nevada Supreme Court, who heard oral arguments last year. The four judges who heard the case for the first time ruled in favor of Gruden against the NFL.“The NFL’s legal position is absurd and will continue to be rejected by all courts,” Hosmer-Henner stated.
Adam Hosmer-Henner
