Former Raiders HC Jon Gruden gets no respite in $60 Million lawsuit against NFL

Jon Gruden filed a lawsuit against the NFL in November 2021, shortly after leaving the Las Vegas Raiders. He was hired to take over as their head coach in 2018 on a record-setting 10-year contract worth $100 million, but resigned with more than six years remaining. His lawsuit alleges that the league essentially forced him to step down.

The former head coach claims that leaked old emails, which damaged his image and reputation, left him with no realistic choice but to step down from his role with the Raiders. He made this decision even though he's still owed over half of his massive contract. This sparked him to pursue a lawsuit against the NFL, but his attempt to keep the case in state court, rather than private arbitration, recently failed.

The Nevada Supreme Court made a ruling in May that the case could be handled in private arbitration rather than heard in court. Jon Gruden appealed this decision, but according to ESPN, he lost the bid to have the decision reconsidered. This effectively means that the NFL is within its rights to subject the civil case to private arbitration, avoiding the necessity of going to state court.

Three Supreme Court justices came to a split decision that denied Gruden's request, with one of them noting the possibility of Goodell being the arbitrator of a lawsuit against him being "outrageous." The other two ruled that Gruden was aware of the policies in the NFL constitution, which is ultimately why his request for reconsideration was rejected.

What makes this situation particularly complicated is the NFL's legal policy on arbitration, which Gruden's contact reportedly acknowledges. The league can generally avoid state court for these types of disputes and settle them in an arbitration hearing. These matters are often heard by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Why Jon Gruden is attempting to sue the NFL

Jon Gruden

The NFL launched a "workplace culture investigation" against the Washington Commanders, which included opening more than 650,000 emails to review. In association with their investment, they reportedly found "racist, sexist, and homophobic" emails that were sent by Jon Gruden between 2011 and 2018 during his time away from being a coach.

Gruden is claiming in his $60 million lawsuit against the NFL that the league "intentionally leaked only his documents" in a conspiracy to force him out of his position with the Las Vegas Raiders. He is seeking "monetary damages" as a result of "selective dismissal" of his emails, causing him to lose endorsement deals and essentially terminate his coaching career.