“The allegations are entirely meritless" - NFL hits back at Jon Gruden's lawsuit
Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is in the headlines yet again. It was reported on Friday that Gruden had filed a lawsuit against NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell and the NFL over the leaking of his private emails.
As expected, the NFL has fired back at these alleged claims, and Brian McCarthy, the NFL's spokesperson, responded to the lawsuit.
“The allegations are entirely meritless, and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims, ” he said.
The complaint comes after Gruden, as a result of the continuous leaking of his secret emails as part of the Washington Football Team's investigation, resigned. He alleges that the NFL wanted his reputation harmed and him out of a job.
Gruden suing Goddell and NFL
David Ferrara of the Las Vegas Review-Journal states that the lawsuit alleges: “Through a malicious and orchestrated campaign, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell sought to destroy the career and reputation of Jon Gruden, the former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” he said.
The leaking of the emails was shocking to the NFL community, and they kept coming. Perhaps the most surprising part of Gruden's situation with the emails is that they were reportedly known for months by the NFL prior to them being leaked, which certainly raises questions.
Statement below from Jon Gruden’s attorney, Adam Hosmer-Henner, who filed the complaint Thursday in Clark County, Nevada court. Gruden is seeking damages on seven claims, as well as punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. https://t.co/FsRocrutd2
Obviously what they contained was just horrific as Gruden took aim at just about every person and group on the planet, so his firing, to many, was completely justified.
The timing of the emails being leaked is an interesting thought, as the emails were, in fact, known about months prior, so why did the NFL sit on their hands and essentially wait to release them? For maximum damage to Gruden allegedly.
The lawsuit that Gruden filed reportedly said that there was no warning about the release of the emails and there was no process taken.
Former #Raiders coach Jon Gruden is suing the NFL and Roger Goodell in Nevada district court, alleging they sought to destroy Gruden’s career and reputation through a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” that led to his resignation last month, Gruden’s attorney tells me.
Ferrara then added: “When their initial salvo did not result in Gruden’s firing or resignation, Defendants ratcheted up the pressure by intimating that further documents would become public if Gruden was not fired,” the lawsuit alleges.
“They followed through with this threat by leaking another batch of documents to the New York Times for an October 11, 2021 article. On October 7, 2021, Jon Gruden was the head coach of the Raiders on a 10-year, $100-million contract. By October 11, 2021, he had been forced to resign."
This is certainly an interesting case. The NFL community will wait with anticipation to see how the situation plays out over the coming months.