The Nevada Supreme Court is set to conduct a full review of a lawsuit filed by former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden against the NFL over leaked emails.
The state’s Supreme Court has opted not to schedule oral arguments but announced Thursday that all seven justices will review the case after a 2-1 panel decision on May 14 to dismiss it. On July 1, the same three-judge panel rejected a request from Gruden’s attorneys to reconsider the case, once again by a 2-1 vote.
The panel ruled that the NFL could move the civil case into arbitration, potentially overseen by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who is also a defendant in the case. Two justices noted that Gruden was aware when he signed his contract with the Raiders that arbitration was the NFL‘s method for resolving disputes.
However, the dissenting justice argued it would be “outrageous” for Goodell to arbitrate a case in which he is personally named as a defendant.
Attorneys representing Gruden, Goodell and the NFL did not immediately respond to email requests for comment on Friday from The Associated Press (AP). NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy also declined to comment when contacted by the AP.
Head coach John Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on before a game against the Chicago Bears at Allegiant Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. On October 11, 2024, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that it would conduct a full review of a dismissed lawsuit from Gruden against the NFL.
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Gruden’s lawsuit claims that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league pressured the Raiders to dismiss him by leaking emails in which Gruden, while working as an ESPN analyst, made remarks about Goodell and other NFL figures that have been deemed to be racist, sexist and homophobic. Gruden resigned from his position with the Raiders in November 2021.
The NFL took its case to the state Supreme Court after a Las Vegas judge in May 2022 denied the league’s attempts to either dismiss Gruden’s lawsuit entirely or force out-of-court arbitration, which could have been overseen by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The judge referenced Gruden’s claim that the NFL selectively leaked only his emails, stating that a jury could potentially view that as evidence of “specific intent”—an action taken with the goal of achieving a particular outcome.
Gruden, who was the Raiders’ head coach when the team relocated to Las Vegas from Oakland in 2020, is seeking monetary damages. He claims that the selective release of his emails—published by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times—destroyed his career and cost him lucrative endorsement deals.
Gruden initially coached the Raiders in Oakland from 1998 to 2001 before spending seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won a Super Bowl in 2003. After a stint as a TV analyst for ESPN, he returned to the Raiders in 2018.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
