NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jon Gruden returns to professional football.
The former NFL coach joins the Arena Football One League’s Nashville Kats as a co-owner and in what the club described as “consulting and advisory roles in all aspects of the team’s football and business operations.”
Gruden, 61, hasn’t been officially involved with a professional American team since he resigned as coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in the middle of the 2021 season, due to emails he sent before being hired that included racist, homophobic, and misogynistic comments. Gruden did some consulting with the New Orleans Saints in 2023, but didn’t officially join the staff.
The Super Bowl-winning coach later filed a lawsuit against the NFL, alleging contractual interference and conspiracy. A three-judge panel of the Nevada Supreme Court ruled 2-1 in favor of the NFL last year, ruling that the league could force the civil case out of state court and into private arbitration that could be overseen by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Gruden appealed the decision and the lawsuit will be reviewed by the full seven-member court.
The Gruden family has deep ties to the Arena Football League. Jon’s younger brother, Jay, won four league titles as a player and two more as a coach in the 1990s and early 2000s before moving on to a coaching career in the NFL.
The Nashville Kats, who announced Gruden’s association on Monday, have a group of owners that includes former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, who also serves as the Kats’ president and as the league’s commissioner.
I have been a fan of indoor football for a long time and jumped at the opportunity to get involved with Jeff and the Nashville Kats as part of the ownership group. I have a lot of respect for what Jeff has done throughout his career and continues to do with the Nashville Kats and as the AF1 commissioner. I am excited to be part of the team.
Jon Gruden
