LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach cannot sue the NFL and must continue with arbitration.
The high court threw out a previous ruling on the matter from district court, which denied the NFL’s attempt to compel arbitration.
In a two-to-one decision, Justices Elissa Cadish and Kristina Pickering ruled that Jon Gruden is subject to a clause in the NFL’s Constitution that gives the commissioner authority over arbitration, as a former employee of the league.
In the ruling, the high court notes that Gruden’s argument that an undisclosed settlement from the NFL would have rescinded the employment agreement, and further, its arbitration requirements, but failed to provide evidence on the record.
Gruden would also claim in district court that Gruden was not given a copy of the NFL Constitution when he signed the agreement. However, the court found that his contract with the Raiders included a clause legally binding him to the constitution.
In Justice Linda Bell’s dissenting opinion, she stated that she did not believe the clause should apply to former employees.
In 2021, Gruden resigned from the Raiders after several racist, homophobic, and misogynistic emails emerged from his time as an ESPN broadcaster. He would go on to file a lawsuit against the NFL a month later, alleging that the league purposefully leaked the emails to force his resignation.
FOX5 has reached out to Gruden’s attorney and the NFL for comments on the Supreme Court’s ruling.
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