Attorneys for NFL again filing appeal in Jon Gruden lawsuit

Attorneys for the NFL are again filing an appeal in the league’s long-running lawsuit with former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden.

The suit was initially filed in 2021 by Gruden against the league and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, arguing that leaked emails written by him had pushed the Raiders to fire him.

Gruden resigned as Raiders coach after news reports about his racist, misogynist and anti-LGBTQ emails. The NFL has denied leaking the emails.

The current appeal stems from District Judge Joe Hardy’s decision in December to deny the NFL’s motion to dismiss the suit based on Nevada’s anti-SLAPP statute.

SLAPP stands for strategic lawsuits against public participation. The state law is meant to limit civil liability for people exercising free speech rights in connection with “an issue of public concern.”

A notice of appeal filed Friday by NFL lawyers did not explain the reasoning behind the latest appeal. But in another court document, the attorneys noted the unlikelihood of resolving the case.

“The undersigned does not believe there is any prospect of settlement at this time,” the filing said.

Previously, the case spent years before the Nevada Supreme Court, where attorneys tangled over the question of whether Gruden could be forced into arbitration.

The Supreme Court ruled in August that Gruden could not be compelled to undergo arbitration.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.