Former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden filed a lawsuit against the National Football League and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in 2021. Nearly two years later, the legal battle could be the NFL’s biggest problem during the 2023 season.
Gruden stepped down as the Raiders’ coach midway through the 2021 NFL season after emails were released showing him using offensive language when talking about league officials and he made a racist reference to former NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.
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The long-time NFL coach apologized following the release of the first wave of emails sent while he was working for ESPN on Monday Night Football but remained with the Raiders. However, the Super Bowl XXXVII winner stepped down once a second round of emails were disclosed.
Shortly after Gruden was forced to quit, Raiders’ owner Mark Davis alleged that the NFL was out to get his team and Gruden’s scandal was a “hit job” orchestrated by the league. Months later, Gruden sued the NFL and Goodell with allegations that they intentionally leaked the emails to get him fired.
The NFL avoided a legal battle with Gruden taking over headlines during the 2022 season, contesting the lawsuit in private to avoid creating headlines. However, the escalating drama is expected to be a significant source of frustration for the league this season.
Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, ESPN senior writer Don Van Natta Jr provided an update on Gruden’s ongoing lawsuit against the NFL. Specifically, he shared the perspective that Gruden is not going to agree to a settlement with the league and that is fueling one of the biggest concerns among NFL owners.
“The Gruden story I think is the biggest concern among the owners right now because Gruden has said he is not going to settle. It’s now in the Nevada Supreme Court, the lawsuit that Jon Gruden filed, against the NFL and against Roger Goodell, alleging that they leaked those emails that cost him his job and his career.”
Don Van Natta Jr on Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against the NFL, Roger Goodell
While the NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry with one of the strongest legal defense teams in all of professional sports, Gruden poses unique problems that could cause significant issues for the NFL’s bottom line and perception.
Why Jon Gruden has leverage over the NFL
The NFL is no stranger to going to court and fighting against lawsuits. However, one thing separates Gruden’s case against Goodell and team owners from other cases brought before.
In 2013, the NFL agreed to a $765 million settlement to end a lawsuit brought on by former football players over concussions and CTE. A few years later, the league agreed to a multi-million dollar settlement with Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick over collusion allegations.
More recently, the NFL settled a suit filed by former players for the league’s use of race-based training. It also agreed to a $790 million deal with St. Louis following the city’s lawsuit over the Rams’ move to Los Angeles. Each time, the settlement allowed the NFL to avoid entering the discovery process of a civil suit.
As Van Natta Jr. made very clear on The Rich Eisen Show, Gruden has made it clear to anyone who will listen that he’s not willing to even entertain the thought of a settlement.
“Gruden has told people that he will burn the house down, he will burn the NFL down to get the truth…I’ve talked to people around Gruden, close to Gruden and he is all-in on the truth. So, if the Nevada Supreme Court rules in his favor, there will be discovery and that discovery means Gruden’s attorneys can subpoena Roger Goodell, every single owner if they want to try and find out if the NFL did in fact leak those emails.”
Don Van Natta Jr. on Jon Gruden’s approach to legal battle with the NFL
It puts the NFL in a very dangerous position. League officials are hoping that Nevada’s Supreme Court rules against Gruden, determining not to allow the process of discovery. If a ruling is made this October in his favor, though, there will be unprecedented problems for the NFL.
Allowing for discovery doesn’t just mean that Gruden’s defense team can call subpoena Goodell and other NFL owners to speak on the emails that were released to the New York Times. It also means he could push for communications records, obtaining texts and emails between league officials and team owners.
Gruden has claimed for several years that the language he was using in his emails reflected the culture inside the NFL. If he gets to move forward with the discovery process, shining a public light on the private communications of Goodell and team owners, it will be the NFL’s biggest problem in years.