In October 2021, the former Las Vegas Raiders coach, Jon Gruden, resigned from his post. The New York Times reported the explosive emails that Gruden wrote. The emails contained racist language, homophobic slurs, and misogynistic comments about various people. Although now, the troubled coach spoke publicly for the first time since his resignation. While touching on the grave topic, he declared his intention to redeem himself.
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In the email, he used a homophobic slur for the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell. Also, he was not particularly happy about the emergence of women in the NFL as officials. The Super Bowl-winning coach wanted the athletes who protested against playing the national anthem to get released.
Jon Gruden at the Little Rock Touchdown club commenting on the emails that ended his NFL coaching career. pic.twitter.com/1ClcWtdTRn
— Steve Sullivan (@sully7777) August 30, 2022
During an interview at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, the coach took accountability for the mistake he made. Jon Gruden said, “I’m ashamed about what has come about in these emails, and I’ll make no excuses for it. It’s shameful. But I am a good person. I believe that. I go to church. I’ve been married for 31 years. I’ve got three great boys. I still love football. I’ve made some mistakes, but I don’t think anybody in here hasn’t. I just ask for forgiveness, and hopefully, I get another shot.”
The league singled out Jon Gruden, or as he thinks
Jon Gruden, after his resignation, went ahead to file a lawsuit against the NFL. He thinks the league singled him out. The lawsuit pleads that the leagues possess as many as 650,000 such emails. However, his emails were the only ones that went public.
A Nevada court ruled in favor of Gruden. And opened up a possibility of a jury trial.
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The emails dated as far as 2011. At that time, he worked for ESPN as a ‘Monday Night Football’ analyst. And also, as the NFL draft QB guru. Throughout his career, Gruden became the most desired coach in the league. In 2002, he helped Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win a Super Bowl trophy. The 59-year-old signed a 10-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2018. The deal was a lucrative one and got him $100 million. However, his time in Las Vegas ended abruptly because of the infamous collapse.
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