The NFL says it will appeal a ruling denying the league's request to move former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden's lawsuit over leaked emails from a public courtroom into closed-door arbitration.
In a statement, the NFL denied Gruden's claims that league officials or Commissioner Roger Goodell leaked racist, sexist and homophobic emails by Gruden to force him to resign last October.
Judge Nancy Allf in Las Vegas refused requests to dismiss Gruden's claim outright or move it to out-of-court talks that could be overseen by Goodell. Gruden emerged from the courtroom declaring "Go Raiders" and saying he was going to let the process take care of itself.
Gruden attorney Adam Hosmer-Henner characterized the idea of putting decisions in Goodell’s hands as an “unconscionable” conflict-of-interest.
Gruden says the NFL and Goodell destroyed his career and wrecked various endorsement contracts by releasing those emails that no one disputes Gruden sent. The judge was told they contained “racist, misogynistic and homophobic” language unfit to repeat in a courtroom.
The emails came from some 650,000 electronic messages obtained by the NFL about a year ago during an investigation into workplace culture at the Washington NFL franchise now called the Commanders.
