Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden Resigns After Racist, Misogynistic and Homophobic Emails Exposed

Photo Credit @NFL Twitter

Just hours after The New York Times released a scathing report Monday night highlighting a history of racist, homophobic and misogynistic emails sent by Las Vegas Raiders head coach, Jon Gruden, to NFL officials over a seven-year period prior to his hire, ESPN is reporting that the once highly sought coach is out of a job.

Shortly after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he was told by sources that” Raiders owner Mark Davis arrived at the team's facility earlier Monday evening and went to find Gruden.”

"Earlier this evening, The New York Times uncovered a trail of emails dating back seven years, in which Jon Gruden had a clean sweep of offending NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, women, gays, minorities, all sorts of people."

Jon Gruden’s emails are further & final proof for the necessity of minority voices in positions of power.

In 2011, Gruden was a homophobic racially insensitive pervert. He was also the face of #MNF on ESPN, speaking to an audience of 13.3 million people weekly. pic.twitter.com/9rpZTVBPBj

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) October 12, 2021

Gruden followed up shortly with a statement of his own saying, “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.”

— @AdamSchefter with an update on Jon Gruden pic.twitter.com/qqsvptqBCE

— ESPN (@espn) October 12, 2021

Davis himself confirmed both the meeting and the reported conclusion by Schefter, releasing the following statement:

"I have accepted Jon Gruden's resignation as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders."

pic.twitter.com/pxurcxX67v

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 12, 2021 

It was the final stop on a rollercoaster of a week for the 58-year-old, who was in his second stint with the Raiders as head coach.

Friday after reporting by the Wall Street Journal revealed Gruden had used a racial stereotype to refer to NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith in 2011 in an email to then Washington Redskins general manager Bruce Allen, he quickly apologized.

Gruden, who said, “Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin [sic] tires,” in the email, told the WSJ he was “really sorry" and that he refers to liars as "rubber lips." 

I don’t think he’s dumb,” Gruden told the Journal. “I don’t think he’s a liar. I don’t have a racial bone in my body, and I’ve proven that for 58 years.

It seemed the controversy might die out with the Raiders staying mum on the subject and Gruden and others trying to play off the incident as a one-time mistake years before he was head coach, but Monday’s report spurred immediate action from the team which publicly prides itself on a commitment to diversity and anti-racist principles.

Gruden, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win in 2003 before eventually moving on to ESPN where he worked as a color analyst during the period when he composed most of the offensive emails before being hired to coach the Raiders in 2018, finishes his tenure with a 22-31 record.

Rich Bisaccia will serve as the interim head coach of the team, effective immediately