Jon

Gruden

Gruden, however, “wasn’t interested in the job.” Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is turning over much of his coaching staff after a less-than-ideal first year on the job. Rosenblatt reports the team apparently contacted Gruden, who did not have interest in taking on a role under Glenn. Gruden has not coached since resigning from the Raiders after a scandal involving emails using bigoted language during the 2021 season. He consulted with the Saints in 2023 but has been out of the league since. The Jets’ staff turnover will decidedly not include Gruden.

Gruden has made his rounds at various team sites since resigning from the Raiders during the 2021 season, amidst a scandal that involved a mass leak of emails that included racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language. Jones said he doesn’t care if his next opportunity comes “at Jones Junior High” or in the NFL, but the soon-to-be 62-year-old, who won the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers during the 2002 season is clearly looking for one more shot somewhere.

Got us feeling nicey. Gruden worked to help install the Saints offense in 2023 and Pelissero notes that Gruden could have finagled his way into the Saints OC position if he wanted it. The Saints connections already existing make that feel like an obvious interview spot — that’s just our speculation — but perhaps he still has other fans in the league.

Gruden, per Vic Tatur of The Athletic, “still holds out hope of coaching again” after he was forced to resign from his job with the Raiders. This appears to be a trial balloon to the idea of Gruden coming back after offensive e-mails surfaced during the NFL’s unrelated investigation of workplace harassment with the Washington Commanders. Gruden would probably have better odds trying to come back as an underling, but it remains unlikely that an NFL team will actually hire him.

“He has plenty of money from his broadcasting, Raiders and sponsorship deals and may value putting Goodell on trial more than any dollar figure,” Tatur writes. 🍿. The NFL is trying to get Gruden’s defamation of character lawsuit dismissed and has appealed the original ruling that it could go forward, but people in Gruden’s camp think that the speed with which the judge ruled makes the appeal a long shot.

“Through a malicious and orchestrated campaign, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell sought to destroy the career and reputation of Jon Gruden, the former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” the lawsuit filed Thursday in Clark County District Court stated. Gruden’s lawyers also wrote in the 21-page complaint that the former coach was “forced to resign” after the “Defendants ratcheted up the pressure by intimating that further documents would become public if Gruden was not fired.” This is a developing story that is far from over.

Gruden resigned from his post as Raiders head coach on Monday after emails he sent demonstrating blatant racism, homophobia, misogyny, and other types of bigotry were leaked. Tampa Bay wasted no time in removing the Super Bowl-winning coach from their Ring of Honor. The team also released a statement saying they believe in promoting equality and diversity.

Three days ago, the Wall Street Journal reported Gruden sent an email that used a racist trope to describe NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith back in 2011. In a separate investigation into the Washington franchise, more than 650,000 emails were reviewed, and they revealed a plethora of homophobic, misogynistic messages from Gruden. There was no clearing this latest hurdle after Gruden took the last few days trying to save face, claiming there “isn’t a racist bone in my body.” That proved to be a flat-out lie. Not only is Gruden racist, he slammed gays, women in the NFL, and commissioner Roger Goodell across many years when he was working for ESPN and sending emails to ex-Washington team president and GM Bruce Allen. Gruden will never coach again after completing less than 3.5 years of his 10-year, $100 million contract.

The emails, which surfaced in a different investigation than the one that revealed Gruden’s racist language, were sent in a period between 2011-18. As was the case with the racist email, these new emails were part of a chain with ex-Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen, one of Gruden’s former bosses. They feature Gruden using a homophobic slur to describe commissioner Roger Goodell, his complaints about the league hiring female referees, and his disgust at the St. Louis Rams drafting openly gay pass rusher Michael Sam. They are shocking in both their insensitivity and retrograde thinking. Gruden was already barely weathering the storm from last week’s scandal. It is impossible to see how he survives this with his job. Stay tuned.

The Wall Street Journal reports Gruden wrote “Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin tires” in his sent email during the height of the 2011 NFL lockout. Gruden, who recently apologized, said he was upset with how Smith was handling the CBA talks at the time, reaffirming to the WSJ that he “used a horrible way of explaining it.” The NFL has since released an empty statement on the matter, stating the league “condemns the statement and regret any harm that its publication may inflict on Mr. Smith or anyone else.” The league is also reportedly sharing emails pertaining to Gruden with the Raiders while a person familiar with the matter, per WSJ Sports, said the NFL is currently discussing Gruden’s status with the club. This story is far from over.