ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
There were more ugly, insulting and small-minded emails from Jon Gruden and now Gruden is gone as the Las Vegas Raiders coach.
The Raiders issued this Gruden statement via an email timed at 6:52 PM.
“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone. — Jon Gruden.”
Apparently, Friday’s news that Gruden wrote a racist email 10 years ago while working as an ESPN Monday Night Football broadcaster was not enough to cost him his job. Gruden “Dumboriss [sic] Smith has lips the size of michellin [sic] tires,” Gruden wrote to his friend, Bruce Allen, who was the president of the Washington Football Team at the time. Gruden was referring to NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith.
More Gruden emails uncovered by the NFL during the unrelated investigation of the Washington club included anti-gay, misogynistic language.
The New York Times reported Gruden used homophobic language to describe NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, criticized the drafting of gay player Michael Sam in 2014 and suggested that safety Eric Reid, who kneeled during the national anthem, should be fired.
The Gruden emails were over at least a seven-year period.
Raiders owner Mark Davis, who had hired Gruden to a 10-year, $100 million contract, issued this statement: “I have accepted Jon Gruden’s resignation as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.”
The Raiders said Rich Bisaccia will serve as the team’s interim head coach effective immediately. Bisaccia will meet media Wednesday.
It’s clear the Raiders organization is in disarray. This is a business in crisis.
News of Gruden’s racist and homophobic comments and his departure come just three months after team president Marc Badain and other business staffers resigned under a cloud of reported and alleged financial issues. Badain worked 30 years for the Raiders and left out of the blue, shocking team employees.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
This was supposed to be a big season for the Raiders with fans allowed inside subsidized Allegiant Stadium for the first time in 2021 after fans were not allowed at home games in the Raiders’ inaugural season in 2020.
The NFL also last year declared its commitment to racial justice after this country struggled with issues of race following a police officer’s killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day in 2020.
Here are Gruden’s only public comments on the emails, given after after the Raiders played poorly in a 20-9 loss to the Chicago Bears.
And this morning to the media:
Even Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, who is a Raiders fan and who supported the $750 million public subsidy to help build the Raiders stadium, weighed in on Gruden.
Gruden’s anti-gay comments about Sam being drafted is significant because the Raiders’ roster includes defensive end Carl Nassib, who came out as gay in June.
The content of Gruden’s emails unearthed while the NFL was digging into the Washington team’s workplace issues and owner Dan Snyder is set against the public comments of Raiders owner Davis, who called the killing of Floyd. “murder,” in a Raiders release in 2020. Davis also received the support of the Floyd family after he tweeted support of the verdicts in connection to Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin being guilty on all three counts in the death of Floyd, who died under Chauvin’s knee after being suspected of passing a phony $20 bill at a local store in 2020.
Davis signed Gruden in January 2018 to a 10-year, $100 million contract, a record contract for an NFL coach. He was in the fourth season of this 10-year deal.
Gruden, 58, coached more than 14 seasons with the Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning five more regular season games than he lost. He has a regular season record of 117-112. In the postseason, he won five of nine games, including a Super Bowl title with the Buccaneers in 2002.
He coached the Raiders from 1998-2001, before coaching the Bucs from 2002-08. He was ESPN’s commentary analyst during Monday Night Football before returning to coach the Raiders in 2018.
Gruden was ideal for TV because he’s quick with the glib comment. In media sessions with the Las Vegas press, he handled his 10-minute chats effortlessly, often dropping in humorous little jokes.
During this second coaching assignment with the Raiders, he was 22-31 — nine games under .500. His final game with the franchise was a dismal loss to the Chicago Bears yesterday.
Support LVSportsBiz.com and our journalism by buying Alan’s newest book — Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys. Buy a book for $23, which includes shipping, and send $23 via PayPal to asnel@LVSportsBiz.com and include your mailing address.