Many are watching carefully Commissioner Roger Goodell’s testimony before Congress. The lawyers who represent former Raiders coach Jon Gruden are watching and listening.
“It was apparent from Commissioner Goodell’s testimony today that the NFL is still resisting actual accountability and is only willing to be selectively transparent,” attorney Adam Hosmer-Henner said in a statement issued Wednesday. “In the Jon Gruden lawsuit, the Nevada court comprehensively rejected the NFL and Commissioner Goodell’s attempt to compel arbitration and conceal their conduct from the public. If they do appeal, we welcome the opportunity for the Nevada Supreme Court to issue a published opinion confirming the ruling and invalidating the NFL Constitution and the unfair arbitration provisions that the NFL has hidden behind for so long. Jon Gruden’s fight matters to many more people than just himself and real accountability won’t exist until the NFL’s misconduct stops being addressed behind closed doors.”
The clock for an appeal has not yet begun to tick, because a final order has not yet been entered denying the NFL’s attempt to force Gruden’s lawsuit into the NFL’s secret, rigged kangaroo court.
Gruden’s lawsuit arose directly from the Commanders situation, since the emails that were leaked to the media came from a collection of emails that were gathered as part of the investigation. If the league successfully moves the case to arbitration, it will be in a much better position to keep details as to who leaked the materials from coming to public light.