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By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
A Jon Gruden email that included a racist trope while he worked at ESPN a decade ago has put the Las Vegas Raiders in a tenuous position as the NFL team known for its forward-thinking positions on racial justice is now dealing with Gruden and his reported racial comment made about NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith.
A published story reported that Gruden, in an email when he worked as an ESPN Monday Night Football commentator in 2011, used a racial comment to describe Smith’s facial features. Gruden sent the email in July 2011 to then Washington team President Bruce Allen when the NFL and the players union were embroiled in a labor dispute. It was discovered during an investigation into Washington Football Club work place issues.
Here’s the statement from the Raiders released Friday afternoon and posted on Twitter: “The content of an email regarding DeMaurice Smith from Jon Gruden when he worked for ESPN 10 years ago is disturbing and not what the Raiders stand for. We were first made aware of the email late yesterday by a reporter and are reviewing it along with other materials provided to us today by the NFL. We are addressing the matter with Coach Gruden and will have no further comment at this time.”
Here’s the Raiders Tweet:
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The revelation about the Gruden email comes at a time when he is coaching an NFL team that has been at the forefront of racial justice issues. For example, Davis referred to “The Murder Of George Floyd” in his press release in June 2020 when Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
In August, Davis also told LVSportsBiz.com that the topic of racial justice resonated with him in light of his well-known friendship with civic rights leader/1968 Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith, who lit the Al Davis torch before a Raiders-Houston Texans game in Mexico City in November 2016.
Smith gave this response on Twitter to the Gruden racial email:
AP quoted NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy as saying, “The email from Jon Gruden denigrating DeMaurice Smith is appalling, abhorrent and wholly contrary to the NFL’s values. We condemn the statement and regret any harm that its publication may inflict on Mr. Smith or anyone else.”
Gruden is coaching the Raiders for a second time, hired by Davis for $100 million over 10 years. His team plays the Bears at 1 PM Sunday at Allegiant Stadium Sunday.