Jon Gruden may not be drawing up plays anymore, but he just scored a major win, this time in a courtroom instead of on a football field.

On Monday, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of the former Raiders head coach in his lawsuit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell. The case centers on Gruden’s claim that the league intentionally leaked the infamous 2021 emails, filled with racist, misogynistic, and anti-gay slurs that led to his resignation.

The key here? The court didn’t weigh in on whether Gruden’s accusations are true. Instead, the justices basically told the NFL, “Nice try, but you’re not running this like one of your own instant replays.”

🚨JUST IN: Legendary coach Jon Gruden has BEAT THE #NFL in Nevada Supreme Court.

There will be no arbitration; his case vs. the league & Goodell heads to court.

Gruden alleges NFL forced his 2021 resignation by leaking his emails with racist, misogynistic, homophobic language. pic.twitter.com/lNYhRSbq4G

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 11, 2025

The league had been pushing to force the matter into arbitration, which would mean Goodell himself could decide the case. That’s right, the commissioner would be judge, jury, and, well, the commissioner. The court called that setup “unconscionable,” noting that it allows Goodell to arbitrate disputes about his own conduct, exactly what’s at issue. The judges also flagged another eyebrow-raiser: the NFL can change its constitution (including the arbitration rules) “at any time, and without notice.”

In a 5–2 decision, the justices ruled that this policy doesn’t apply to Gruden as a former employee, clearing the way for the lawsuit to move forward in open court.

Gruden first sued the league in 2021, just weeks after stepping down from the Raiders. Those leaked emails were originally discovered during an investigation into the Washington Commanders, and Gruden claims the NFL made sure they went public to push him out.

The road to Monday’s win wasn’t short, a three-judge panel ruled against him in May 2024, sending the case to arbitration, but Gruden appealed and got it bumped to the Nevada Supreme Court. Now, the NFL will likely ask the U.S. Supreme Court to step in, but that’s a long shot; the high court takes only a small fraction of cases.

If they decline, the league will finally have to face Gruden in court, something it’s been dodging for years.

Translation: Jon Gruden’s next big matchup might not be on Monday Night Football, but it could still be must-watch TV.