NFL analyst declares why Jon Gruden should be the fan favorite in years-long emails lawsuit against league

October marks three years since Jon Gruden's sudden resignation from the Las Vegas Raiders. Time may advance at one rate, but lawsuits advance differently. After a third of a decade since Gruden's allegedly homophobic incendiary emails were originally leaked, the lawsuit between Gruden and the NFL continues, with the former claiming that he was a victim.

Speaking on Pro Football Talk on October 11, NFL analyst Mike Florio claimed that curiosity to learn who leaked the emails offers one big reason to root for the case to continue.

"The reason we should be rooting for the cause that Gruden is advancing. We're otherwise not going to know who ordered the Code Red. We're not going to know who did what they did, why they did it. We're not going to know how those documents came to light. If this thing goes to court, we're going to find out," he said.

Gruden's motivation for the lawsuit is a belief that the leaked emails destroyed his career and ruined his opportunity to get and maintain his endorsements.

Exploring odds of Jon Gruden's NFL return

The former head coach has a resume bigger than most active head coaches. However, due to the controversy surrounding him, the odds of his return seem remarkably low.

Derek Carr's coach's email leak has changed his perception of the public. Whether an NFL team owner is willing to leave the past in the past is beside the point. Hiring Gruden comes with an automatic massive spotlight that could create plenty of bad press and attention for the franchise.

While it may raise awareness for the team in the short term, it could harm prospects for the team in the long term. If Gruden doesn't win instantly, as it took him years to get close to .500 with the Las Vegas Raiders, his next team could have a losing record and a controversial head coach. That alone could be reason enough for fans and analysts to turn away from the team.

As such, unless Jon Gruden can find a way to change his image in the NFL community, he might be on the outside looking in for the rest of his life.

Of course, the lawsuit alone might make things more difficult for his return, but not impossible in its own right. Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator Brian Flores has managed to maintain an NFL career despite suing several teams for discrimination.

This gives at least some hope to any wishing to see Jon Gruden on the sideline of any team from the New York Jets to the Dallas Cowboys. Could Jon Gruden find a way back into the league in the future for a third act?