Jon Gruden has won games in primetime, the playoffs and even a Super Bowl. But the biggest fight of his career is heading to a courtroom as he battles the NFL itself.
It's been nearly five years since Gruden resigned from the Las Vegas Raiders and subsequently sued the NFL for its alleged role in a "malicious and orchestrated campaign" to force him out. But after a series of pre-trial court wins over the NFL, all of which staved off the league's efforts to dismiss the trial or force arbitration, there's finally a trial date.
According to KLAS, Clark County District Court Judge Hardy has scheduled the trial for May 2027. Judge Hardy has denied multiple motions from the NFL to either stall or dismiss the case. The Nevada Supreme Court has also sided with Gruden in allowing the case to go to trial.
Gruden's Ousting
Jon Gruden resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in October 2021 after reports surfaced of offensive emails he had sent years earlier while working as an ESPN analyst. The emails, uncovered during an NFL investigation into workplace misconduct within the Washington Football Team, included racist, misogynistic, and anti-gay language, as well as criticism of league officials and policies.
As more emails became public over several days, pressure mounted from the league, sponsors, and the public, ultimately leading Gruden to step down just five games into the 2021 season.
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Following his resignation, Gruden filed a lawsuit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell in November 2021, alleging that the league had selectively leaked his emails to force his removal and damage his reputation. The NFL has denied wrongdoing and argued that the emails became public as part of a broader investigation.
The next major step towards the trial will presumably be discovery - a process the NFL has avoided in lawsuits for decades. Discovery would force the league to publicize a series of internal documents and likely reveal exactly who leaked the emails from Gruden.
It's a process that the NFL will probably wind up bending over backwards to avoid, which likely means that the league accountants will be counting up money to present to Gruden as a settlement in the months to come.
