NFL Files Motion To Dismiss Jon Gruden’s Lawsuit

The NFL filed a motion to dismiss former Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against the league, accusing it of being “baseless” and that it “should be dismissed for failure to state a single viable cause of action.”

The main accusation is that the NFL leaked Gruden’s old, offensive emails to get him fired.

In addition to the motion, the NFL also asked the court to stay that motion until it first rules on whether the case should be moved to arbitration.

Gruden, who also coached the Bucs from 2002-2008, resigned as coach of the Raiders in October with six-plus seasons remaining on his 10-year, $100 million contract. He claims a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” was used by the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell to destroy the coach’s career by leaking the emails that included racist, misogynistic and homophobic language.

“Gruden does not, and cannot, dispute that he wrote the published emails. He does not, and cannot, dispute that he sent those emails to multiple parties,” the league’s filing says. “Nor does he claim that they were somehow altered or edited and that the repugnant views espoused in them were not in fact expressed by him. Instead, Gruden filed the instant complaint against the NFL and the commissioner, painting himself as the victim in a fictional story and seeking money through baseless claims against the NFL.”

The league denies leaking the emails, which were sent to up to a half-dozen people, and adds that Gruden had no “expectation of privacy” for the emails.

Raiders owner Mark Davis said in October that he had reached a settlement—the details of which were not released—with Gruden over the remainder of his contract.