HENDERSON, Nev. – The lawsuit by former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden against the NFL could wind up costing commissioner Roger Goodell his job, according to a Las Vegas attorney.
Gruden scored a major victory in the suit last Wednesday when a Nevada district court ruled the case could proceed in open court rather than through a confidential arbitration process.
Las Vegas attorney Sam Mirejovsky of the Sam & Ash Law Firm wrote this opinion on the case and shared it with Raiders Maven:
"Gruden’s lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell is the real deal.
Now that a Nevada district court judge has ruled the case can proceed in open court and not through a confidential arbitration process, the entire situation has become significantly direr for the defendants.
Remember, Gruden, settled his claims against the Raiders almost immediately after stepping down.
Gruden then hired the same attorneys who represent the Raiders and Mark Davis and quickly filed his bombshell lawsuit against the NFL and Goodell.
Together with who Gruden picked to be his legal team, the timing suggests to me that Mark Davis is supporting this endeavor. If true, Goodell and the NFL should be extra worried because they are fighting two well-funded and aggrieved opponents – one of whom is in the shadows and not technically a part of the lawsuit.
Now that Gruden’s case has survived dismissal, Gruden’s legal team can begin the discovery process to determine if in fact Goodell and the NFL conspired against him and the Raiders.
Gruden’s lawyers can demand emails, memos, phone logs, text messages, and even metadata to support their claim. Gruden’s team can demand that Goodell sit for a deposition and give testimony under oath.
Short of a few procedural maneuvers to delay the process, there’s not much the NFL can do to stop this from happening.
This part is important: NO company – let alone the NFL – wants hostile parties rummaging through their desk drawers. The only way a defendant can stop the discovery process is to offer the plaintiff an irresistible sum of money.
Unfortunately for the NFL, that may be a number that doesn’t exist because Gruden – and Mark Davis – are out for blood, not cash.
A defendant’s worst nightmare is a plaintiff who doesn’t care about money. This case is getting interesting.
I predict that this suit will ultimately cost Goodell his job. With adversaries like Gruden and Davis, Goodell faces a discovery effort that will look to uncover evidence of Goodell's own wrongdoing. In today's digital world -- the same one that hung Gruden out to dry -- I find it inconceivable that there isn't SOMETHING out there that could kill Goodell's career. Perhaps an unflattering email? A disparaging text about a group of powerful owners? Sexist or racist comments? Evidence of an affair? Misuse of NFL funds? Yes, the scope of discovery is limited to the case at hand but the discovery has a way of finding all the skeletons.
Just ask Gruden."
The NFL has made it clear it plans to appeal the ruling, but the parties will begin the discovery process at some point.
More must-reads: