Judge denies NFL’s motion to dismiss Jon Gruden’s lawsuit

On Wednesday, Jon Gruden scored an initial legal victory in his lawsuit against the NFL.

Gruden is suing the NFL, alleging that the league held onto emails and selectively leaked them with the purpose of forcing Gruden to lose his job as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

The NFL filed a motion to dismiss the case and a motion to compel arbitration. Nevada judge Nancy L. Allf on Wednesday denied both motions. The NFL argued that arbitration is necessary due to Gruden’s contract with the Raiders. But the former head coach’s legal team countered that Gruden is not bound to his contract since he resigned from his job on Oct. 11. Judge Allf agreed.

The NFL plans to appeal the judge’s decision.

If the league does not win an appeal, then the case could head to trial unless a settlement is reached. The league has a strong tendency to settle its lawsuit in an effort to avoid negative publicity that could arise through the discovery process.

Gruden, 58, resigned as Raiders head coach in October after numerous emails he sent from his personal account to Bruce Allen were leaked to a few media outlets. The emails, which were written between 2011-2018, contained gay slurs and other inappropriate content.