Former Las Vegas Raiders Jon Gruden was unexpectedly one of the first casualties of the NFL’s investigation into the toxic work environment created by former Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.
Snyder has since been forced to sell the team, but Gruden’s war on the NFL continues.
ESPN dropped a report on the saga on Wednesday. Left unresolved, however, is exactly who leaked Gruden’s problematic emails to The Washington Post.
Gruden insists the league office leaked the emails and is currently using Nevada’s justice system “to burn the house down.”
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes that, “If/when Gruden’s lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell proceeds beyond the question of whether Gruden must submit to the league’s secret, rigged, kangaroo court of arbitration ultimately controlled by Goodell, Gruden will have a chance to conduct discovery and track down the truth.”
Florio went on to posit his own “working theory” which he clearly said were not statements of fact.
First, it’s possible that Snyder directed the disclosure of the Gruden emails to Goodell as a clumsy peace offering, knowing that Goodell and Gruden had a history of animosity and that Goodell would appreciate the opportunity to rid the league of Gruden, for good,” Florio wrote.
“Second, it’s possible that once Goodell saw the emails and realized they could be used to force Gruden out, Goodell embarked on an effort to use the emails to squeeze Raiders owner Mark Davis into getting rid of Gruden.”
Only time will tell how those events play out. But the NFL world was quick to react to Gruden’s threats nonetheless:
He won’t. https://t.co/DWfXYIF3IX
— My name is Mike D (@MikeDolam) July 12, 2023
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