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Jon Gruden, the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach, and his attorney Adam Hosmer-Henner filed an official complaint against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday in Clark County, Nevada.
The complaint is seeking punitive damages and concerns itself with how the process of Jon Gruden being fired took place. Gruden was fired by the NFL after leaked emails to Bruce Allen revealed that the Raiders head coach used racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language. The emails were originally transmitted back in 2011 but were only released just a few months ago.
It was soon discovered that the league had knowledge of said emails well before the season began. With that in mind, many, including Raiders owner Mark Davis, questioned the timing of the release of the emails, which were at the heart of the first quarter of the 2021-2022 NFL season.
Jon Gruden's lawyer slams NFL and Roger Goodell
The lawsuit from Gruden and his attorney was blunt and placed much of the blame at the feet of the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell. Here is some of what Gruden's attorney, Adam Hosmer-Henner, had to say about the matter:
"It's a Soviet-style character assassination. There was no warning and no process. Defendants held the emails for months until they were leaked to the national media in the middle of the Raiders' season...to cause maximum damage to Gruden."
In the lawsuit, Gruden and his lawyers claimed that the NFL leaked the damaging emails in an attempt to "destroy the career and reputation of Jon Gruden." Henner confirmed that seeks damages on seven claims.
The lawsuit also states that the NFL leaked the emails to The New York Times in an attempt to make sure Gruden was either fired or forced into resignation.
In the lawsuit, Henner inquired as to why Gruden was the only name mentioned in the investigation into unethical practices and behavior of the Washington Football Team. The attorney argued that the timing was questionable, particularly since the emails were in the possession of the league for months before being released.
Gruden has yet to face any discipline from the NFL. Since he resigned as soon as the emails were leaked to the public, the league had no time to administer any punishments.
Only time, and a full investigation, will shed light on whether or not Gruden is welcomed back into the NFL fraternity that he is currently no longer a part of.
