It's been over four years since Jon Gruden's self-imposed exile from the NFL after the release of leaked emails which forced his resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Since then he's taken the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell to court over the leaks and he took a pretty big step in court this week.
According to ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., Gruden's attorney is seeking testimony from Goodell himself along with several current and former league owners. Part of the filing revealed that there have been no talks about a settlement.
"Jon Gruden's attorneys will seek testimony from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and at least four current and former NFL owners in his lawsuit over whether the league leaked the emails that forced his departure as Las Vegas Raiders coach, according to a court filing this week," Van Natta wrote.
"Gruden resigned as coach of the Raiders in October 2021 after the publication of emails he sent years earlier that included racist, misogynistic and anti-gay language. His lawsuit, filed months later, accuses the NFL and Goodell of a "malicious and orchestrated campaign" to destroy his career by leaking the emails.
"The filing this week revealed there have been no settlement talks."
A lottery ticket?
NFL fans firmly believe that Gruden is a massive threat to the league right now. Many have pointed out that the league would never allow Goodell or any member of the inner circle be deposed in public filings and that they would settle if forced to do so in court.
"Ain't no way the NFL is gonna let Roger be deposed. Gruden has a lottery ticket, he just needs to be patient about it," one user wrote on X.
"This is a bad look for the league, no way around it. If the NFL truly had nothing to hide, it wouldn’t take subpoenas to get transparency. Dragging the commissioner and owners into court only reinforces the perception of selective accountability and backroom power plays. Either the league leaked those emails and ruined a career, or it lost control of its own information both are serious failures," wrote another.
"Good. I hope part of Gruden's settlement includes Goodell being out of a job forever and having to help pay whatever settlement he's due out out of his own pocket," a third wrote.
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The leaked emails of 2021 showed Gruden saying some pretty nasty thing about major players in the NFL. He was out of the league for several years after he resigned and only recently put his name back in the hat for potentially coaching again.
It might be a bit harder for him to achieve that goal if he's actively suing the league though.