Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against the NFL faced its first big procedural hurdle in court on Thursday, and in a victory for the former head coach, the case will proceed.
In a hearing in Clark County District Court Thursday, Judge Nancy Allf heard a pair of motions from the NFL’s attorneys. The first was a Motion to Compel the case into binding arbitration, which would remove it from District Court. The second was a Motion to Dismiss from the NFL, arguing that the former coach failed to state a viable cause of action.
Judge Allf heard arguments from attorneys from both the league and Gruden on Wednesday, first on the Motion to Compel the case into binding arbitration. Attorneys for the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell argued first in their pleadings, and then during argument, that the terms of Gruden’s employment contract and the league’s Constitution and Bylaws are clear that arbitration is the proper forum for Gruden’s allegations. Gruden’s attorneys argued that because he reached a settlement agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders, Gruden was therefore not bound by the contract with the team, nor the NFL’s Constitution and Bylaws.
