Former head coach John Gruden reacts on the sideline. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The NFL said in a court filing last week that former coach Jon Gruden sent “derogatory emails consistently" while working for the Oakland and Las Vegas Raiders, per the Washington Post.
Why it matters: Gruden resigned from his coaching position last year shortly after a New York Times report found Gruden used homophobic and misogynistic language in emails over a seven-year timeframe before he joined the Raiders.
Catch up quick: The NFL's new filing was made in connection to a lawsuit from Gruden, who alleged the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell leaked Gruden's emails to damage the former head coach's career, Axios' Noah Garfinkel reports.
- The NFL said it did not leak the emails.
- The league asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit back in January, per the Washington Post. Last May, District Judge Nancy L. Allf allowed the lawsuit to continue, per Sports Illustrated.
Driving the news: The NFL said in a filing last week to the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada, that Gruden may have been sending derogatory emails for an extended period of time outside the original timeframe of 2011-2018.
- "Discovery — necessary to make any finding of fact on this issue — will show that Gruden continued to send the same kinds of derogatory emails consistently following his start date with the Raiders," the league said, per the Washington Post.
- Multiple reports suggested Gruden sent the emails while at ESPN before he returned to the Raiders in 2018.
- The NFL declined to comment for this story.
The other side: Gruden’s lawyer, Adam Hosmer-Henner, told the Washington Post that the league "did not make these unsubstantiated arguments in the motions they already lost and will not be able to make them if they appeal."
- "The NFL has tried to avoid discovery from the start, not Jon Gruden. This is just another attempt by the NFL and Commissioner Goodell to save face by attacking Jon Gruden while still not owning up the truth of their actions. Jon isn’t going to try to hide from his deposition, is the Commissioner?”
- The Raiders did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Go deeper: Former Raiders coach Jon Gruden sues NFL over leaked emails