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The Las Vegas Raiders continue to run into a number of issues off of the field. This week, ESPN has reported that former Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden has filed a lawsuit against Roger Goodell and the NFL for allegedly leaking his emails to the press.
"The complaint alleges that the defendants selectively leaked Gruden's private correspondence to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in order to harm Gruden's reputation and force him out of his job," Gruden's attorney, Adam Hosmer-Henner, told the sports media outlet.
"There is no explanation or justification for why Gruden's emails were the only ones made public out of the 650,000 emails collected in the NFL's investigation of the Washington Football Team or for why the emails were held for months before being released in the middle of the Raiders' season."
Gruden's emails were obtained during the NFL's investigation of the Washington Football Team's workplace. Reports from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times highlight racist, anti-gay and misogynistic remarks Gruden made when speaking about a number of topics with members of the Washington Football Team's management. Most notably, he compared the size of NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith's lips to Michelin tires and called Goodell an anti-gay slur. Shortly after Gruden's emails were shared with the press, he resigned as head coach of the Raiders.
“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone," Gruden stated, per Adam Schefter.
Throughout this ongoing situation, the NFL has denied sharing emails pertaining to the Washington Football Team investigation with the press. According to ESPN, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy described Gruden's allegations as "entirely meritless." Moving forward, the league "will vigorously defend against these claims."
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