Jon Gruden has resigned as the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after racist, homophobic, and sexist remarks were found in emails he wrote before being hired in 2018.
“I have resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” Gruden said in a statement Monday night. I support the Raiders and don’t want to be a nuisance. Thank you to everyone of Raider Nation’s players, coaches, staff, and fans. I’m sorry; I didn’t want to do anyone any harm.”
After The New York Times revealed that Gruden used sexist and homophobic words at Commissioner Roger Goodell and others in the NFL, he stepped down.
Rich Bisaccia, the assistant head coach for special teams, will take over on an interim basis.
Gruden, who signed a 10-year, $100 million contract with the Raiders in 2018, is in the fourth year of his contract. It all started on Friday, when the Wall Street Journal revealed that in a 2011 email to former Washington executive Bruce Allen, Gruden used a racial slur to characterize NFL union leader DeMaurice Smith.
The emails were discovered as part of a workplace misconduct investigation into the Washington Football Team, but they ultimately cost Gruden his job because they revealed that he opposed the drafting of a gay player and the tolerance of players protesting during the national anthem, among other things.
Gruden apologized for making “insensitive statements” about Smith, claiming he was frustrated by the 2011 lockout. However, the most recent emails from Gruden’s time as an ESPN commentator from 2011 to 2018 reveal that his usage of disparaging language extended much beyond that.
The emails are accurate, according to a league source, and were delivered to the Raiders last week. Because the league hasn’t made the emails public, the source spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Last week, Raiders owner Mark Davis said the email regarding Smith was “disturbing” and “not what the Raiders stand for,” and that the organization was investigating the other emails. Davis said simply that he accepted Gruden’s resignation in a statement released Monday.
According to the New York Times, Gruden insulted Goodell by using a homosexual slur and calling him “clueless” and “anti-football.” He also said that Goodell should not have forced the Rams to pick “queers,” a reference to Michael Sam, the NFL’s first out homosexual player.
End of the Raiders’ defense Carl Nassib, who came out as homosexual in June, is the first out gay player in NFL history.
According to the New York Times, Gruden reacted to a sexist image of a female official in a 2017 email by writing, “Nice work roger.”
According to the newspaper, Gruden chastised Goodell and the NFL for attempting to minimize concussions and suggested that Eric Reid, a player who protested during the national anthem, be dismissed.
According to the publication, Gruden criticized a 2017 piece in which players urged Goodell to support their efforts to promote racial equality and criminal justice reform.
Gruden commented, “He has to hide in his concussion protocol tent.”
Gruden and Allen have a lengthy history of working together, having previously worked in Oakland and Tampa Bay. Photos of women wearing only bikini bottoms were sent in emails between the two and other males, including one shot of two Washington team cheerleaders.
During President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, Gruden also chastised then-Vice President Joe Biden.
Smith stated earlier Monday that while he appreciated Gruden reaching out to him after the original revelation, the email shows that the fight against racism is still ongoing.
“But make no mistake, the story is about what else is said by individuals who never imagined they’d be exposed and how they’ll be held accountable,” Smith said in a Twitter thread.
During the NFL’s 2011 lockout of the players, Gruden made comments to Allen regarding Smith. Gruden told the Wall Street Journal that he was enraged by the lockout during labor talks and that he didn’t trust the union’s direction.
In an email obtained by the publication, Gruden said, “Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin tires.”
Davis has been attempting to get Gruden nearly since taking over when his father, Al, died in 2011. Gruden eventually had his reward in 2018, when he decided to quit ESPN and return to the sidelines on a 10-year deal. After being traded to Tampa Bay for a bevy of draft selections, Gruden resurrected the Raiders in his first tenure from 1998 to 2001, and then defeated them in the Super Bowl the following season.
Gruden has a 117-112 career record, but hasn’t won a postseason game since defeating the Raiders in the Super Bowl in 2002.
Gruden’s second stint with the franchise began with a pep rally introduction press conference, but there were few reasons to celebrate as he went 22-31, failing to win a game or make the playoffs.
In his first season, he dealt away players Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper to begin a reconstruction that has made only minimal progress. Gruden sought to make a push in 2019, the Raiders’ last season in Oakland, after the club went 4-12 in his first season. He spent significantly in free agency and traded for standout receiver Antonio Brown. However, after a series of run-ins with management, Brown was released before the season began, and the Raiders finished 7-9.
They were 8-8 last season and started this year with a strong 3-0 record before dropping their last two games.
Bisaccia spent 19 seasons in the NFL as a special teams coordinator with the Raiders, Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite the fact that he has no head coaching experience, his promotion will allow other coaches, like as defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, to continue in their present positions.
