Donovan McNabb and the State of Football
A Nevada judge denied an indefinite stay sought by the NFL in the civil case filed by former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden at a hearing on Thursday.
District Court Judge Nancy Allf said in her ruling after about 10 minutes of arguments that Gruden’s legal team “did make a good showing that the appeal lacks merit” as she rendered her decision.
The NFL was seeking a stay over Allf’s ruling last week that denied the league’s motion to compel arbitration in the matter.
Moreover, Allf — as she did last week in her denial of the NFL’s motion to compel arbitration — based her Thursday ruling on the terms of Gruden’s 10-year, $100 million contract with the Raiders.
“That was a contract between Mr. Gruden and a professional sports team,” Allf said in court. “Even though they’re a signatory, they’re not a party. So, I am going to deny the motion.”
Allf noted that the NFL has the option to seek a stay with the Nevada Supreme Court.
“If you get one, I won’t be offended,” Allf said.
After the indefinite stay pending appeal was denied, Maximilien D. Fetaz, who represented the NFL in the Las Vegas courtroom, sought a 45-day stay in the case. Fetaz told the court that a delay was needed for the league to file its appeal.
Allf denied that as well, but Gruden’s lead attorney, Adam Hosmer-Henner, didn’t object to a short delay before the appeal hits.
Gruden seeks unspecified monetary damages in the lawsuit he filed last November, a month after he abruptly resigned as Raiders coach after some sexist, homophobic, and racist emails he exchanged with former Washington Commanders executive Bruce Allen were published.
Gruden alleged in the lawsuit that the emails were “leaked to the national media in the middle of the Raiders’ season in order to cause maximum damage to Gruden.”
The NFL has denied it was the source of the emails, which were obtained during the first outside investigation into the Commanders led by former U.S. Attorney Beth Wilkinson.
