Nevada Supreme Court Sides with Jon Gruden Against NFL, Blocks Arbitration

The Nevada Supreme Court handed former NFL coach Jon Gruden a major victory on Monday in his ongoing legal case against the NFL, approving his appeal and preventing the league from sending the case to arbitration.

The issue before the court was an arbitration clause in the NFL constitution that the league claimed prevented Gruden from taking his case public. The court disagreed with the NFL’s position and backed the former coach by a 5-2 majority.

The court found the league’s assertion of the arbitration clause to be “unconscionable”. It argued that it didn’t apply to Gruden anyway since he is no longer an employee of the NFL.

The Nevada Supreme Court’s decision is just the latest in an ongoing legal fight to determine the parameters of Gruden’s suit against the league. Shortly after resigning his position as head coach of the Raiders in 2021, Gruden sued the league for leaking damaging reports about his character to the media as part of a smear campaign to besmirch his reputation.

From the beginning, Gruden has fought for the case to be argued in public, while the league has sought a closed-door arbitration. On Monday, the league lost that fight.

Specifically at issue were emails leaked to the New York Times in 2021, which showed Gruden making derogatory remarks about others, specifically former NFL Players’ Association (NFLPA) DeMaurice Smith. The emails, chiefly between Gruden and former Washington Commanders General Manager Bruce Allen, were uncovered, along with hundreds of other emails, as part of an investigation into the Commanders and then-Owner Daniel Snyder.

Gruden, who has apologized for his language in the emails, is arguing that there is “no explanation or justification” for why only his emails were leaked, and not those of the many others who were also uncovered during the investigation.

The former Raiders coach has vowed that the suit will reveal the names of league officials who he claims sought to destroy his career.

Gruden’s victory on Monday follows another win in 2022, when Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Judge Nancy Allf shot down the NFL’s attempt to have the former coach’s case dismissed outright.