Raiders — From Owner To New Interim Coach To Quarterback — Discuss Aftermath Of Gruden’s Demise After Toxic Emails Surfaced
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
He’s as schmoozy an NFL owner you’ll find. Just go up to Mark Davis and tell him, “What do you think? Raiders versus Rams in the Super Bowl at SoFi in February?” and Davis will let loose with a laugh that sounds like your buddy’s chortle.
As Las Vegas Aces games — he’s the WNBA team’s owner — he’s happy to pose for selfies and photos with fans.
But life has not been too cheery lately for the 66-year-old Raiders owner, who coped with the toxic, insulting and prejudiced emails of Raiders coach and good friend Jon Gruden finding their way to national headlines and TV lead stories since Friday. Usually open and candid, Davis has been quiet in the aftermath of Gruden’s sudden demise
Coach Gruden is former coach Gruden after the glib, 14-year NFL coach submitted his resignation Monday in the fourth year of a 10-year, $100 million deal. Gruden quit, so the balance of the contract will not have to be paid. On Friday, his racially-charged 2011 email to his pal, Washington team president Bruce Allen, making fun of the size of the lips of the players union executive director, DeMaurice Smith, who is Black, made blockbuster news.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
More Gruden emails with anti-gay, misogynistic and ugly language surfaced — and Gruden submitted his resignation Monday.
Davis has not talked publicly about Gruden’s emails with the exception of some short press releases. ESPN spoke with Davis Wednesday and Davis offered this, “I have no comment. Ask the NFL. They have all the answers.”
Here are the first comments from Raiders football people and players
GM Mike Mayock: “A lot going on in this building and this franchise for the last several days, and the way I grew up the Raiders always stood for diversity. They had the first Latino quarterback, Tom Flores. He also became the second Latino head coach. The first African American head coach was Art Shell. The first female CEO was Amy Trask. Obviously, all of that was under Al Davis’ watch.
“Now this week, his son, Mark Davis, I think had a tough time. He had a tough week. He had to gather facts. He had to do his due diligence, and since the day I took this job almost three years ago what Mr. Davis has preached has been three things: it’s been diversity, social justice, and domestic violence.”
More Mayock: “All I knew is that a bombshell had dropped. The players talked about it. We talked about it with the players. Jon dealt with it. Again, Mark was dealing with all the email stuff. We were trying to prepare for a football game and then when we came out of the game and the rest of it came out. I think Mark was already in the middle of his due diligence. I think he was trying to figure it all out, and again I know what the guy stands for, and I think he was trying to do the right thing.”
I’ve talked to several of the Black players. We’ve reached out to a bunch of players, Black and white. Everybody has emotions and feelings. I’ve talked to some of the people in my department that are Black. My Director of Pro Scouting [Dwayne Joseph], I just said DJ, I can’t put myself in your shoes, help me. We’ve spent a pretty good amount of time trying to help these and talk with these guys. And not talk at them but talk with them. The other thing I would say is just for Carl, let’s be honest, he’s a community of one that’s openly gay. We do have a large community of African American players. We’re trying to do everything that we can for that community as well, obviously. It started there. Nobody’s forgetting that. I’m trying to work with everyone and we’re going to continue to do that. — Raiders GM Mike Mayock
*
Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia: “Coach Gruden gave me a chance to coach in the National Football League, I’ll always be appreciative of that. That being said, we all have a responsibility here and have to be held accountable to our words and our actions. No one person is bigger than the Raider shield. The Raiders have always stood for diversity, inclusion, social justice. It’s important to live those ideals and carry them into the future. We cannot change the past, but we can do more to maybe make tomorrow better. That’s kind of where I’m at, I can answer some questions for you and go from there.”
It’s no secret we’ve been together a long time and we’ve been friends. I certainly have an affinity for Coach Gruden. He’s changed my life. Hired me back in 2002. The last night wasn’t good for him. It wasn’t good for us, and since then I’m sure he’s got to go through and face and deal with the consequences of whatever he has to do. I’m still a friend of coach Gruden’s, but we haven’t had any dialogue since that particular night. It was an extremely emotional night for all of us for whatever the reasons, but hopefully at one time we will be able to visit again. I think he’s probably going to leave me alone and wish that we do the best. — Interim Coach Rich Bisaccia
*
Quarterback Derek Carr: “Didn’t see all of this coming. I don’t think any of us did. It just caught us all by surprise, but there will be a day for those feelings. There will be a day and a time to talk about all that, and I’ll get into some of it if you have more questions. But from an emotional standpoint I got a job to do and that’s never changed no matter who the coach is, no matter who’s on the team with me. I have a job to do and that’s to lead these men, especially now. They need a leader more than ever and my job is to lead them with my actions like I always have and my voice. Just trying to be a strong voice for people to continually bring people together and continually push people in the right direction.”
It was a lot to handle, I’ll say it that way. You all know me, man. I don’t condone that kind of talk. I don’t talk that way. My kids sure as heck will never talk that way and it’s hard because I love the man so much. Like I have family members that have done things, I’ve done things that I’m glad that I’m still loved. I think more than anything coach needs people help him, to love him in whatever areas that we can. But at the same time, what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong. I’ve never seen something like this happen and so you don’t know the precedent. — Quarterback Derek Carr
*
The Raiders play the Broncos in Denver Sunday.
