00:00Former NFL head coach John Gruden may get his wish when it comes to his lawsuit against the
00:05league, a public trial. The Nevada Supreme Court rejected the NFL's latest appeal that the suit
00:11be settled in arbitration. All seven justices signed the order rejecting the league's petition.
00:20The last legal resort left for the NFL is an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court,
00:25which ESPN reported Thursday night, is likely. Gruden resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas
00:31Raiders in 2021 after emails he sent to then-Washington General Manager Bruce Allen were
00:37leaked. Those emails contained racist, sexist, and anti-gay comments directed at Commissioner
00:43Roger Goodell and other league personnel, while Gruden was an on-air analyst at ESPN in 2011.
00:50Gruden's lawsuit accuses the league and Goodell of trying to destroy his career and reputation
00:56using a malicious and orchestrated campaign to get him fired. The NFL has long used a closed-door
01:04internal arbitration process to settle disputes and legal claims involving coaches, players,
01:09and other current or former employees. Commissioner Goodell is often the final arbitrator in most cases,
01:16including those involving the league as defendant. This process keeps any of the NFL's potential dirty
01:22laundry from being made public in a courtroom. The Nevada court said that process does not apply
01:27to Gruden as he is not a current employee. By its own unambiguous language, the NFL Constitution
01:33no longer applies to Gruden. The court said, if the NFL Constitution were to bind former employees,
01:40the commissioner could essentially pick and choose which disputes to arbitrate.
01:44A similar legal ruling went in favor of former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores in August.
01:51A federal appeals court said Flores' discrimination lawsuit against the NFL can go to trial as opposed
01:57to arbitration. The NFL has asked for another review of that case. Flores is the current defensive
02:03coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. If the U.S. Supreme Court passes on the Gruden versus NFL case,
02:10the league would have to face Gruden in court, barring a settlement. That would open the door
02:14to discovery and testimony. Gruden did not comment on Thursday's ruling, but spoke to ESPN in August
02:21about the Nevada court's initial ruling in his favor.
02:25I'm looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me
02:29doesn't happen to anyone else, Gruden said. What happened wasn't right, and I'm glad the court didn't
02:34let the NFL cover it up. Gruden has not coached in the NFL since he resigned from the Raiders in 2021.
02:41He joined Barstool Sports as a commentator and analyst in 2024. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis.
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