Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden filed a lawsuit against the National Football League in early 2022 for the NFL’s alleged involvement in reporting that led to the Raiders’ head coach resigning. While Gruden is going all-out against the league, it appears his day in court won’t come for a while.
In 2021, emails were leaked revealing Gruden using a racist trope in 2011 to describe former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. Days after Gruden apologized for his insensitive comments, more emails were released pointing to Gruden having a long history of using offensive language and making defamatory comments about league officials.
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Gruden hasn’t coached since. After being away from pro football entirely in 2022, the Super Bowl-winning coach made his return this summer as a consultant with the New Orleans Saints. Gruden has worked with quarterback Derek Carr, whom he had a great relationship with from their time in Las Vegas.
However, Gruden’s primary focus has remained on his lawsuit. The 60-year-old believes the NFL leaked his emails, which were uncovered in the original investigation into the Washington Commanders, with the sole intent of forcing Gruden out of the league.
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Filed in Nevada, the NFL’s motion to have the lawsuit dismissed was denied and a Clark County district court judge sided with Gruden in October 2022 when the NFL pushed for the discovery process to be paused. While Gruden has recorded several small legal victories, he will be waiting some time for his case to move forward.
According to Front Office Sports, there’s still no resolution in sight for the lawsuit and the Nevada Supreme Court has provided no indication when it will hear the case.
Reno-based attorney Alex Velto provided some insight to Front Office Sports, sharing that the court typically established a date for oral arguments hearing a month before issuing an order for arguments. However, even a court hearing in November would mean a decision wouldn’t come for months.
“It takes a long time. It’s not uncommon for there not to be arguments for months after briefings are completed, and even after there are oral arguments, it takes the Justices a few months to write and release an opinion.”
Alex Velto on the Jon Gruden lawsuit and Nevada’s legal system
It essentially counts as a short-term win for the NFL. Team owners have been fearful of Gruden’s lawsuit, concerned that the process of discovery could lead to him revealing information about league officials and club owners. Given Gruden was one of the most popular figures in football both as a head coach and as ESPN’s former Monday Night Football analyst, he could have prior records of communications.
The NFL knew in 2022 that Gruden’s lawsuit would likely stretch into this year, hovering over the ongoing season. Now, it appears extremely likely that the NFL won’t have to deal with headlines and unwanted information from the discovery process being reported until December or possibly in 2024.
