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Jon Gruden sues the NFL and Roger Goodell

doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 22,529 ✭✭✭✭✭

Jon Gruden is suing the NFL and Roger Goodell saying they sought to ruin his career and reputation.

Jon Gruden sues NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell

(CNN)Former Raiders coach Jon Gruden alleges in a lawsuit that the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell sought to destroy his career and reputation through a malicious and orchestrated campaign.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Clark County, Nevada District Court.

Gruden resigned in October as head coach of the Raiders after reports emerged of him using homophobic, racist and misogynistic language in emails while he worked as an ESPN analyst.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remains steadfast on not releasing more from Washington Football Team investigation

The questionable emails were uncovered as part of a league investigation into workplace misconduct at the Washington Football Team.

"The complaint alleges that the defendants selectively leaked Gruden's private correspondence to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in order to harm Gruden's reputation and force him out of his job," Gruden's attorney Adam Hosmer-Henner said in a statement. "There is no explanation or justification for why Gruden's emails were the only ones made public out of the 650,000 emails collected in the NFL's investigation of the Washington Football Team or for why the emails were held for months before being released in the middle of the Raiders' season."

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told CNN in a statement, "The allegations are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims."

The suit claims the NFL's actions have led to Gruden suffering from "severe financial damages and harm to his career and reputation."

Though the source of the leaked emails is unknown, the lawsuit claims they were leaked by the NFL and alleges the league deliberately sought to hurt Gruden while other details of the investigation into the Washington football team were kept secret. McCarthy told CNN in October the league had no plans to release more details from the investigation for confidentiality reasons.

"Out of 650,000 emails obtained months earlier in connection with the investigation into workplace misconduct by the Washington Football Team, Defendants weaponized a small subset that were authored by Gruden prior to his hiring by the Raiders. Defendants then purposefully leveraged these emails to cause the termination of Gruden's coaching contract, endorsements, and sponsorships," the lawsuit says.

Investigation came after accusations against Washington team management
In July, the NFL announced it fined the Washington organization $10 million after an independent investigation found the club's work environment was "highly unprofessional," especially for women.

The fine cames after 15 former female employees and two journalists who covered the team accused team staffers of sexual harassment and verbal abuse. The club launched an investigation last July, which the NFL took over in August.

How an investigation of the Washington Football Team led to the resignation of the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach
In October, the Wall Street Journal reported Gruden used racially insensitive language to describe NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith in a 2011 email.

Then the New York Times reported it reviewed more emails and found Gruden denounced women being employed as on-field officials, a team drafting an openly gay player, and the tolerance for national anthem protesters.

Many of Gruden's emails, covering a seven-year period, were sent to Bruce Allen, the Washington team's then-president who was fired in December 2019, according to the Times.

A league source, just before Gruden resigned, confirmed the accuracy of the Times' story to CNN.

Gruden was one of the NFL's highest-paid coaches, having signed a 10-year, $100 million contract with the Raiders, according to salary tracking website Spotrac.

He first coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001, then won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. At the time, Gruden was 39 and then, the youngest coach to win the Super Bowl.

He left the Bucs in 2008 and became a football analyst for ESPN and his messages were sent while he was working for ESPN as a color analyst during "Monday Night Football," the Times reported.

Comments

  • erikthredderikthredd Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm with Hydrant,good for Gruden and hopefully he wins his case. He had nothing to do with that WFT investigation yet he got screwed with losing his job. What happened with Gruden is the exact reason why Tom Brady wouldn't hand over access to his own cell phone during the Deflategate investigation.

  • HydrantHydrant Posts: 7,773 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 12, 2021 8:38PM

    .. Maybe later.

  • Steven59Steven59 Posts: 8,268 ✭✭✭✭✭

    But didn't Gruden voluntarily say "No Mas" and resigned as it was "Detrimental to the team" if he remained head coach?

    "When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 22,529 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 13, 2021 2:40AM

    Roger Goodell was definitely out to get Jon Gruden, I don't like Roger Goodell, I'm putting him on my list, right above Jeff Bezos, but still below Mark Zuckerberg.

  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,226 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It makes you think…

    …if someone combed through my emails, how bad would I look, doesn’t it? I don’t think I’m a bad person but take a few phrases out of context or quote me from some of my youthful, angry emails. 😳

    I do think that this was a targeted attack; perhaps designed to deflect from Washington, since this seems to be the bigger story from the investigation; the sexual harassment investigation by the Washington FT has certainly faded to the background.

    My guess is the NFL will settle.

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  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 29,357 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Good, and I hope he wins as well as makes a complete fool out of Goddell

  • jay0791jay0791 Posts: 3,508 ✭✭✭✭

    DDDD
    Double Dat DD

    Collecting PSA... FB,BK,HK,and BB HOF RC sets
    1948-76 Topps FB Sets
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    1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 22,529 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yes, and Barstool Sports knows how weird Zuckerberg is too, he even earned the number 1 seed in their weirdo ncaa tournament.

  • TabeTabe Posts: 5,920 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think the NFL was probably out to get Gruden but.... so what? The emails are legit. They're not privileged communication. It's not illegal for the NFL to release them. What exactly is Gruden claiming here? "If you hadn't shown the world that I write racist, homophobic emails, I wouldn't have voluntarily quit my job?" I don't see how he has a case.

    But I sure hope it goes to trial with tons of discovery made public.

    Come to think of it, that's what Gruden is angling for - a settlement so the NFL can avoid discovery.

  • HydrantHydrant Posts: 7,773 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 13, 2021 12:24PM

    Babylon Bee. Check it out. Click search.... Aaron Rodgers first and then
    Gruden. No comment here......except...... they give DD a run for his money. 😂

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 22,529 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Hydrant said:
    Babylon Bee. Check it out. Click search.... Rodgers and then
    Gruden. No comment here......except...... they give DD a run for his money. 😂

    But if we remove every coach and player that has ever said a bad word from the NFL, all that will remain is?

  • HydrantHydrant Posts: 7,773 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 13, 2021 12:40PM

    DD, do what I suggested...... Don't ask questions...... You will laugh your kiester off. Do it!........LOMBARDI AVE.???😂😂

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 22,529 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Hydrant said:
    DD, do what I suggested...... Don't ask questions...... You will laugh your kiester off. Do it!........LOMBARDI AVE.???😂😂

    I'll check it out, but I still think an NFL with only Tim Tebow would be pretty dull.

  • HydrantHydrant Posts: 7,773 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Babylon Bee. Click on the three little lines in the upper left hand corner. Go to search. Type in Aaron Rodgers. Don't chicken out....man up.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 22,529 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Hydrant said:
    Babylon Bee. Click on the three little lines in the upper left hand corner. Go to search. Type in Aaron Rodgers. Don't chicken out....man up.

    I checked it out, very interesting indeed, there certainly are some wild and crazy stories on that website!

  • HydrantHydrant Posts: 7,773 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Their motto:.......Fake News You Can Trust.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 22,529 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Hydrant said:
    Their motto:.......Fake News You Can Trust.

    I'll be visiting that sight regularly now! 🖒

  • streeterstreeter Posts: 4,312 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I like outrageous fake stories. That's why I come to this joynt.

    Have a nice day
  • Alfonz24Alfonz24 Posts: 3,021 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The nfl paid millions to kraepernick, so hopefully Gruden can get 10s of miilions and drag out the nfl's dirty laundry.

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  • thisistheshowthisistheshow Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There is no way that they went through all of those emails and only found fault with Gruden's. To claim such is embarrassing.

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