Gruden issued a statement Monday night stating that he had resigned as the head coach of Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders, and don’t want to be a distraction. We are grateful to Raider Nation’s players, coaches, staff, fans, and all those who support them. Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.
After The New York Times reported Gruden’s use of homophobic and misogynistic language directed at Roger Goodell and other NFL officials, he resigned.
Rich Bisaccia, assistant head coach for special teams, will be in charge of interim duties.
Gruden’s rapid fall from grace was swift. He is currently in the fourth year on a $100 million, 10-year contract he signed in 2018 with the Raiders. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Gruden used a racist term in an email to Bruce Allen, describing DeMaurice Smith, the NFL union chief, in his 2011 email.
Gruden lost his job after the emails were found in a workplace misconduct investigation into Washington Football Team. They also showed Gruden denouncing the drafting and tolerance of players protesting during play of the national anthem, among other issues.
Gruden had to apologize for the “insensitive comments” he made about Smith. He said they were made in frustration at the 2011 lockout. Gruden’s use of derogatory language goes beyond what he said in the emails he sent between 2011-18 while a ESPN analyst.
The accuracy of the emails was confirmed by a league source who said that they were sent to Raiders last Wednesday. Because the league has not made the emails public, the person spoke under the condition of anonymity.
Raiders owner Mark Davis stated last week that Smith’s email was “disturbing” and did not represent what the Raiders stand up for. He also said that the Raiders were reviewing additional emails. Monday’s statement by Davis stated that Gruden had resigned.
The Times reported Gruden used a gay slur in an insult to Goodell. He also claimed that Goodell shouldn’t have pressured Rams to draft “queers,” a reference Michael Sam who was the first openly homosexual player to be drafted by an NFL team.
Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib, who is openly gay, came out in June as he was gay. He is the first openly homosexual player to play in an NFL game.
The Times stated that Gruden replied to a sexist joke about a female official in 2017 by saying “Nice job roger.”
Gruden was also criticized by Goodell and the NFL for trying to reduce concussions. The paper said Eric Reid, who demonstrated during the performance of the national anthem should be fired.
Gruden was also ridiculed in the newspaper’s 2017 article about players asking Goodell for support in their efforts to promote racial equality as well as criminal justice reform.
Gruden wrote, “He must hide in his concussion protocol camp.”
Gruden and Allen have been together for many years, working together in Oakland as well as Tampa Bay. Emails between Allen and Gruden included photos of women in bikini bottoms, as well as one photo of Washington team cheerleaders.
Gruden also criticised President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, as well as former vice president Joe Biden.
Smith stated Monday that he appreciated Gruden reaching out to him after the initial report. However, the email shows that the fight against racism continues.
Smith said that “but make no mistake, it is not about the content of our private conversations but about what other people say and how they will be held accountable.”
Gruden made the comments to Allen regarding Smith during the 2011 lockout by the NFL. Gruden stated to the Wall Street Journal that he was upset about the lockout in labor negotiations and didn’t trust what the union was doing.
Gruden stated in an email that Gruden reviewed for the newspaper, “DumborissSmith has lips the size michellin tires.”
Davis had tried to hire Gruden since 2011, when he assumed the helm following the death his father, Al. Gruden finally accepted a 10-year contract from ESPN in 2018. Gruden had revived Raiders during his first stint, 1998-2001. They beat them in Super Bowl the next season after he was traded from ESPN to Tampa Bay for a boatload draft picks.
Gruden’s career record is 117-112, but he hasn’t won a playoff match since 2002’s Super Bowl win over the Raiders.
Gruden’s second tenure began with a news conference for the pep rally. However, it was not a celebration. Gruden posted a record of 22-31 but failed to win a record or reach the playoffs.
In his first season, he traded for stars Khalil Mack (star) and Amari Cooper (star). This was to begin a rebuilding effort that has only shown minor results. Gruden spent heavily on free agency and traded for Antonio Brown, a star receiver, to try to push the Raiders to 4-12 in his first season. After a series of disagreements with management Brown was fired before the season and the Raiders finished the season at 7-9.
They improved to 8-8 in the last season, and started off with a promising 3-0 record this year, before dropping two of their previous games.
Bisaccia was a special-teams coordinator in the NFL for 19 seasons, including with the Raiders and Chargers, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Dallas. Although he has not had any experience as a head coach, his promotion will allow others assistants like Gus Bradley to continue in their current roles.
