The fan who filed what appears to be a frivolous lawsuit against the NFL over the draft-day free fall of Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is committed to the bit.
Via Ayrton Ostly of USA Today, the fan who inexplicably sued under the John Doe pseudonym has filed an emergency motion for early and targeted discovery.
The plaintiff, citing “the urgency, public interest, and volume of evidence likely to be in the exclusive possession of the NFL,” seeks: (1) emails and text messages between and among a broad range of team and league officials regarding Sanders from April 1, 2025 through May 1, 2025; (2) scouting reports, internal assessments, draft boards, and interview notes used by NFL teams when evaluating quarterbacks during the 2025 draft; (3) avoid and video recordings of team meetings, draft room communications, or NFL Scouting Combine sessions involving Sanders; (4) communications with third-party media outlets regarding the public portrayal and narrative regarding Sanders before the draft; (5) all documents regarding the NFL’s investigation regarding the prank call placed to Sanders; (6) results or report of the inquiry into why Sanders’s personal phone number was provided to NFL teams via the waiver wire; and (7) the 61-page arbitration report that found evidence of collusion against Black quarterbacks.
We’ll give John Doe credit. Even though the lawsuit seems to be destined for dismissal for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted, he seems to be knowledgeable regarding the areas of factual inquiry that proving a case like this would entail.
And we’re on #TeamJohnDoe, if it means getting a look at the arbitration ruling from earlier this year that, for whatever reason, neither the NFL nor the NFL Players Association will discuss. (We’ve heard that the arbitrator found reason to believe that collusion happened as to the refusal to give guaranteed contracts to certain veteran quarterbacks including Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson, but that the NFLPA failed to prove financial damages.)
Still, the motion for early and targeted discovery undoubtedly will be denied. There’s nothing pressing or compelling about the case that would require the NFL to open its files before having a chance to prove why the case should be thrown out of court, with prejudice.
Complicating the case is the fact that the plaintiff is proceeding without a lawyer. In such situations, the presiding judge usually shows extra lenience to the non-lawyer who is attempting to pursue justice. Still, based on the complaint that was filed immediately after the draft, there seems to be no basis for finding that the plaintiff’s rights were violated.
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