LAS VEGAS, (KYMA, KECY) - The National Football League says it will appeal a Nevada Supreme Court decision that allows former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden to move forward with his lawsuit against the league.
In a 5-2 ruling Monday, justices said the NFL’s arbitration clause was “unconscionable” and did not apply to Gruden as a former employee. The decision overturned a previous court panel ruling that would have forced the case into arbitration overseen by Commissioner Roger Goodell—one of the defendants named in Gruden’s lawsuit.
Gruden filed the suit in 2021, claiming the league and Goodell orchestrated a campaign to end his career by leaking old emails he sent while working as an ESPN analyst. The emails, containing racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language, became public in 2021, leading to his resignation as Raiders coach.
The NFL will request a rehearing from the same court and could take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if unsuccessful.
Gruden, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win in 2003, is seeking monetary damages, saying the leak ruined his coaching career and endorsements. He most recently worked as a consultant for the New Orleans Saints and now serves as part-owner and consultant for the Nashville Kats of Arena Football One.