Jon Gruden, head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders, has resigned his position after a string of emails dating back years in which he used racist, anti-gay, and misogynistic language.
The Raiders made headlines around the world when one of its players, Carl Nassib, came out earlier this year.
Related: Carl Nassib: What you need to know about the first active NFL player to come out as gay
Gruden, a widely-respected coach, won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2002 season, among other career highlights. He’s also known for his presenting work with ESPN.
The New York Times broke the story.
It said the emails emerged after the NFL conducted a review of around 650,000 emails following allegations of workplace misconduct and harassment at the Washington Football Team (the team formally known under a slur for indigenous Americans).
In one email, sent in 2011, Gruden criticized the NFL Players’ Union Chief, DeMaurice Smith, who is Black, using racist stereotypes.
Gruden, at the time, was working for ESPN on Monday Night Football (he joined the Raiders on a ten-year contract in 2018).
In other emails, sent to Bruce Allen, the former president of the Washington Football Team, Gruden called the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, a “faggot” and a “clueless anti-football pussy”.
He also said that Goodell should not have pressured the coach of the Rams, Jeff Fisher, to draft “queers”. In 2014, the Rams drafted Michael Sam, the first out gay player to be drafted to an NFL team.
Gruden also used derogatory language in his criticism of other officials and sports journalists. In one email, he mocked Caitlyn Jenner over her transition.
Gruden also exchanged photos to Allen, and others, which had photos of women, including Washington team cheerleaders, only wearing bikini bottoms.
Gruden also strayed into politics, criticizing President Obama and calling Joe Biden a “nervous clueless pussy.”
The emails cover the period 2011-2018. Allen, the recipient of many of the emails, was fired by the Washington Football Team in 2019 following a decade of disappointing results from the team.
In a statement posted to Twitter by the Raiders, Gruden said, “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.”
“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
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 12, 2021
In a further tweet, Raiders owner Mark Davis said, “I have accepted Jon Gruden’s resignation as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.”
ESPN, which employed Gruden for a period when several of the emails were sent, issued a statement saying, “The comments are clearly repugnant under any circumstance.”
Related: Carl Nassib now has the top-selling jersey in the NFL
When player Carl Nassib came out as gay earlier this year, Gruden told ESPN he welcomed the announcement, saying, “I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great.”
Nassib has made no public comment about Gruden’s resignation.
Among those to comment on Gruden’s departure is Ryan Russell, who in 2019 became the first NFL player to come out as bisexual.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to Carl Nassib, the countless closeted NFL players, female staff, black people, and people of color who have and continue to work in environments where they feel unwelcome and unwanted. The NFL will change because you all deserve better.”
My thoughts and prayers go out to Carl Nassib, the countless closeted NFL players, female staff, black people, and people of color who have and continue to work in environments where they feel unwelcome and unwanted. The NFL will change because you all deserve better.
— R.K. Russell (@RKRelentless) October 12, 2021
Cam
Keep making bigotry and racism expensive.
Chrisk
Resigned? Ha. I guess that’s one way of saying it.
barryaksarben
HE is a too typical racist homophobic trash. Another entitled white man who has to spread hi hate no matter how good he has it himself
Smith David
A thought! I do not believe the NFL would’ve gone to the extent it currently has to curb such hate-mongering if not for a YT player coming out(Carl N) to lead the charge. America loves the idea of a YT savior. Change is a change I guess.
whateverokok
Yeah. And smoking crack is good for the brain. Dude, take your seat. No one called on you.
Ken A.
The question is, is he like that today? No? Who GAF what he wrote years People change. We should let them.
Cam
He wrote racist and bigoted comments. And his team has many non white and at least one gay player. Just what would you suggest the team do? Wait until some player files a suit because the guy harassed them? Then in court it turns out management was aware of these emails and did nothing? They would lose a huge amount of money.
If he’s changed, it’s on him to prove it, not for us to assume it without evidence.
Rugby8
Agree Completely!!!
If this is 10 – 15 years ago….on private emails …… even if I don’t Like his opinions, he’s entitled to them
Larry McD
There’s a reason people in Oakland referred to him as Chucky.
Fahd
He’s not in his formative years – If he was using this kind of language within the last 10 years, it tells me a lot about his prejudices and way of thinking; lamentable and not acceptable for someone in the highly paid, very public position of Raiders head coach.
There’s some truth in “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, but if he has changed that can be demonstrated, for example, through good works to combat homophobia and racism in the world of football.
There’s also truth in “don’t write anything in an email you wouldn’t want your grandmother to read”
His “resignation” and its acceptance were appropriate, and btw I don’t think he’s going to be back in the broadcast booth any time soon either.
barryaksarben
Exactly, I will gladly forgive someone who said that shit at 15 and who has now grown up some but he is a grown ass man already then and now. BYE trash. Why do so many feel they need to punch down in their daily jobs. If he sent these to his brother or family member fine as that is not in the public domain but once you say this crap at work you need to k ow it is not approipriate and should be fired. It really isnt ok anywhere but we all know a family or two that is horrible
BigJohnSF
Wait, he said “queers” – doesn’t that make him woke?
radiooutmike
You can’t take back a name from something you never were.
Kangol2
Nope but even posing that question makes you look like a homophobe.
Hank31
Every survey ever conducted of LGB people has shown that the overwhelming majority of us do not identify with the “queer” label. This includes youth. One recent peer-reviewed study showed that 99.3% of gay and bi boys and 97.2% of lesbian and bi girls do not identify as “queer.” Yet we have people who relentlessly try to force that word on us. And these same people — who disrespect LGBs and our identity on a daily basis — are outraged when people like Gruden follow their example.
Kangol2
“Chucky” Gruden should have known better, especially since he’d spent years as a coach, working with a diverse group of players and staff, but clearly beneath the surface he was yet another right-wing, racist, homophobic idiot who is so moronic he put all of this hateful crap in emails–how stupid do you have to be these days to do this???–and is now paying the price. Thing, bye!
cuteguy
He only apologized bc he got caught. He can care less who he hurt throughout his career. Now he only qualifies to work at Fox News.
Rugby8
So then — Dave Chapelle can spout his vitriol on Netflix – on demand — and Netflix backs him up.
Gruden has Private emails discovered, and the lynch mob wants him fired.
Very Nice.
Verrrrry nice.
BigJohnSF
Did you actually watch the Dave Chapelle show? I didn’t think so. Much easier to drink the kool-aid.