Following allegations he used racist and homophobic vocabulary between 2011 and 2018 which led to him resigning from his post as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Jon Gruden is now suing the National Football League, alleging that the league made an effort to ruin his career “through a malicious and orchestrated campaign”.

“The NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell sought to destroy the career and reputation of Jon Gruden”, the lawsuit filed Thursday claimed. “In contrast to the formalities of the Washington Football Team investigation, Defendants’ treatment of Gruden was a Soviet-style character assassination… There was no warning and no process.”

An investigation by the NFL into the Washington Football Team for misdemeanors in the workplace in October unearthed emails Gruden allegedly sent to then-general manager Bruce Allen containing the language. Gruden resigned that same month.

The lawsuit further claims that the league “weaponized” the Raiders organization when they declined to remove Gruden, ultimately causing the team to force his resignation.

“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” Adam Hosmer-Henner, Gruden’s attorney said in a statement Friday.

Gruden does not deny sending any of the emails in the lawsuit and has apologized for the comments he made.

“Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation,” he said when resigning on Oct. 11. “I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”

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