Jon Gruden just scored one of the biggest wins of his legal career – and it didn’t happen on a football field.
On August 11, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in his favor, allowing his high-profile lawsuit against the NFL to proceed in public court rather than being pushed into private arbitration.
The former Las Vegas Raiders coach has been locked in a yearslong legal fight with the league over a scandal that forced his resignation in 2021. At the center of the battle is Gruden’s claim that the NFL deliberately leaked a series of damaging emails he wrote between 2011 and 2018 while working as an ESPN analyst. Those emails, containing misogynistic and homophobic language, surfaced during an unrelated investigation into the then-Washington Football Team and ultimately ended his coaching career.
Gruden filed suit in November 2021, accusing the league and commissioner Roger Goodell of orchestrating a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” to destroy his reputation. The NFL has denied the accusations, calling them “baseless,” and argued that Gruden has no one to blame but himself for the content of the emails.
But the real fight in court hasn’t been about the emails – it’s been about where this case should be heard. The NFL tried to push the matter into private arbitration, citing a clause in its constitution that requires disputes involving league employees to be handled internally. The problem? The Nevada Supreme Court’s 5-2 majority said that clause was “unconscionable” because it would allow Goodell to arbitrate a case involving his own alleged conduct.
That’s a major win for Gruden, who insists the case belongs in a Nevada district court, where proceedings are public. His attorney, Adam Hosmer-Henner, celebrated the decision, saying it was a victory not just for Gruden but for “all employees facing an employer’s unfair arbitration process.” He added that it clears the way to “swiftly bringing him full justice and holding the NFL accountable.”
The ruling overturns a previous decision from a three-judge panel of the state’s high court, which had sided with the NFL. The full court reheard the case after Gruden requested a review. The league could technically appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but it’s unclear if it will take that step – and even less certain if the nation’s highest court would hear it.
This latest decision lands nearly four years after Gruden’s shocking resignation from the Raiders. His departure followed back-to-back news reports that exposed his private emails, which were discovered during the Washington Football Team investigation. For Gruden, the fight is as much about clearing his name as it is about challenging what he sees as an abuse of power by the league.
The Nevada Supreme Court’s ruling means the legal showdown will now play out in the open – with reporters, fans, and the public watching closely. And for Gruden, whose career was abruptly derailed, it’s a chance to take on the NFL on his own terms.
Alex Carter is an experienced sports journalist with over a decade of covering international and domestic sports events. From the roar of football stadiums to the high-octane energy of F1 tracks, Alex delivers in-depth analysis and exclusive interviews with sports icons. His passion for sports extends to coaching local youth teams on weekends.
