Jon Gruden Says NFL Trying to Move Lawsuit to Arbitration is ‘Unconscionable’

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, who resigned in October when it was revealed he used racist, misogynistic and anti-gay language in emails, believes it is “unconscionable” that the NFL wants to move the lawsuit he filed against the league and commissioner Roger Goodell to arbitration.

Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic reported Gruden, who accuses the NFL and Goodell of leaking the emails despite their denials they did so, opposed the league’s motion to dismiss the case and opposed the motion to move it to arbitration in court filings in Nevada state court.

The Nevada court is slated to hear the NFL’s motions on April 13.

“Prior to signing my employment agreement with the Raiders, I was never provided a copy of the version of the NFL Constitution and Bylaws that was attached to Defendants Motion To Compel arbitration,” Gruden wrote while also arguing the arbitration provision in his contract was with the Raiders and not the NFL.

Kaplan explained the league’s compulsory arbitration provision is found in employee contracts and the NFL constitution.

Gruden also highlighted what he sees as the league’s “foolish” hypocrisy when it comes to caring about fighting racism after former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the league alleging racist hiring practices and discrimination.

“Defendants’ comment was hyperbolic at the time but now seems even more poorly considered in light of the claims by Brian Flores, made after the filing of the Motion, that the NFL engaged in a pattern of racist hiring practices,” he wrote while also suggesting the NFL would have attempted to discipline him in June 2021 when it first learned of the emails if it cared so much.

Flores’ lawsuit included allegations Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 per loss during the 2019 season to improve the team’s draft position. It also alleged the Denver Broncos and New York Giants conducted “sham” interviews in an effort to satisfy the Rooney Rule.

The former Dolphins coach, who has since been hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach, also said New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick mistakenly texted him a congratulatory message for landing the New York Giants job.

The text was allegedly supposed to go to Brian Daboll, who New York ultimately hired, and was sent prior to Flores’ interview with the Giants.

As for Gruden’s emails, Kaplan noted they were discovered as part of a larger investigation into toxic workplace culture and sexual harassment allegations regarding the Washington Commanders franchise.

Among the emails were Gruden saying NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, who is Black, “has lips the size of michellin (sic) tires.” The former Raiders coach also used anti-gay language to describe Goodell and criticized what he saw as NFL pressure to hire “queer” players.