Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has filed a lawsuit against the NFL and Commissoner Roger Goodell, alleging he was “forced to resign” following reports that he sent emails using racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language.
As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the lawsuit reads: “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.”
Gruden resigned in October shortly after the NFL, during a workplace misconduct investigation involving the Washington Football Team, uncovered emails showing the Raiders coach using misogynistic and homophobic language over the span of several years.
“The complaint alleges that the defendants selectively leaked Gruden’s private correspondence to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in order to harm Gruden’s reputation and force him out of his job,” Gruden’s attorney Adam Hosmer-Henner said in an official statement.
Hosmer-Henner continued, “There is no explanation or justification for why Gruden’s emails were the only ones made public out of the 650,000 emails collected in the NFL’s investigation of the Washington Football Team or for why the emails were held for months before being released in the middle of the Raiders’ season.”
Meanwhile, the NFL responded to Gruden’s lawsuit Friday afternoon with a statement in which the league denied the allegations.
“The allegations are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
