New Details Surface in Jon Gruden’s Legal Fight With the NFL

Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been in a battle with the NFL for quite some time. Gruden, in his lawsuit against the NFL, claims that the NFL leaked emails that were damaging to Gruden. And that they forced the Raiders to make Gruden step down as the Raiders' head coach during the 2021 season.

The situation gets another update

Jul 28, 2025; Allen Park, MI, USA; NBC analyst Jon Gruden watches the Detroit Lions training camp with former Monday Night Football and current NBC announcer Mike Tirico at Meijer Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

"The Nevada Supreme Court returned Jon Gruden's case to the state's District Court on Thursday, and the NFL filed two motions seeking the prompt dismissal of the claims," said the Associated Press.

"In the motion filed Thursday and obtained by The Associated Press, NFL attorneys used aggressive language, saying: "The Complaint -- Jon Gruden's attempt to wrongly blame the NFL and its Commissioner for the consequences of the racist, misogynistic, and homophobic emails Gruden authored and widely distributed -- hinges solely on unsupported allegations that fail as a matter of law or fall far short of stating a claim, and should have been promptly dismissed when the NFL Parties first so moved."

Oct 4, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden talks with quarterback Derek Carr (4) during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Previously, the Nevada Supreme Court had denied the league's earlier appeal of its ruling Aug. 11 that Gruden can proceed with his lawsuit and not go through the league for arbitration.

The league's attorneys said in the motion: "Gruden does not and cannot dispute that he wrote the emails that led to his resignation. He does not and cannot dispute that he freely sent those emails to multiple parties. He does not and cannot claim that the emails were misleadingly edited or altered in any way, let alone by the NFL Parties, or that the views espoused in them were not in fact expressed by him. Instead, Gruden has concocted a fictional story that attempts to paint himself as the victim of his own conduct."

Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden looks at his play chart against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Las Vegas won 26-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

"Gruden's false claims are all premised on quintessential First Amendment activity: The NFL Parties' alleged communication of unaltered emails authored by Gruden, a public figure, to the national media. And because those claims have no basis in law or fact, the complaint cannot survive under the anti-SLAPP statute," NFL attorneys said.

"He was the Raiders' coach when the team moved in 2020 to Las Vegas from Oakland, California," added the Associated Press. "He's seeking monetary damages, saying that the selective disclosure of the emails and their publication by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times ruined his career and endorsement contracts."

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