If folks in the NFL used to call Jon Gruden by the nickname ‘Chucky’ based on how he stalked the sidelines, they might be terrified of what the former Raiders coach is plotting next: The fiery passionate pursuit of using the civil justice system in the state of Nevada “to burn the house down.”
Jon Gruden via NFL YouTube
Jon Gruden was forced to resign from his longtime and lofty position as the team’s head coach in 2021 after emails surfaced where he allegedly made a racist comment and argued women should not be NFL referees when communicating with Washington General Manager Bruce Allen.
In the correspondence, Gruden called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a gay slur and a “clueless anti-football p***y”. Gruden also said Goodell shouldn’t have pressured the Rams to draft Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the League. Sam was a seventh-round pick in 2014 who spent time on the practice squad for both the Rams and Cowboys, but never appeared in an NFL game.
Ever since all hell broke loose, Jon Gruden has insisted that the real villain in this scenario is the NFL. He believes the league office leaked the emails. Now he’s dying to put an end to this horror story by taking aim at those who he believes wanted him axed.
And what could get really scary for Roger Goodell and the other men in the shadow is in the discovery process of Jon Gruden’s lawsuit. Now, the former ball coach’s experts in digital forensics along with his legal team can track down the electronic trail that resulted in the emails being released to the media.
The butterfly effect of what comes next is what should be making Goodell want to scream. Some of the evidence introduced in court that doesn’t directly deal with Gruden could still cause future tremors for the NFL when it comes to future litigation. It would basically rip the lid off a lot of strange things that the people in charge like to keep hidden under the stairs.
So, in the end? The NFL may have thought they killed off Jon Gruden, but he’s not dead yet. And he may end up being the ultimate shock master when he goes head-to-head with the League in court.
"If it's in open court, Jon Gruden gets the chance to go all the way back down the digital rabbit hole who ultimately was the one that forwarded the email"
-Mike Florio explains the significance of Jon Gruden's lawsuit
For Mike's full appearance: https://t.co/Plzq8WW5CL pic.twitter.com/AGSTwgkb80
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 13, 2023
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted recently that Jon Gruden is still out for blood when it comes to his former employers. Even as he hopes to someday put on the headset full-time again.
“Gruden remains radioactive, both for NFL and college jobs,” Florio wrote. “Of course, the problem traces not to the alleged misconduct of the NFL but the emails he sent. Someone, however, weaponized those emails with the apparent goal of taking Gruden out. Gruden was wrong, but whoever used those emails against him was wrong, too.”