Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has resigned from his position after emails were made public that showed him using homophobic, transphobic, sexist, and racist language. Gruden coached the team that out NFL player Carl Nassib plays for.
According to the New York Times, Gruden referred to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as a “faggot” and a “clueless anti football pussy.” He complained about how the St. Louis Rams drafted “queers” like Michael Sam, the first out gay player in the NFL.
Related: Carl Nassib waited to come out because he “didn’t know if it would ruin my career”
The emails come from throughout the last decade and are as recent as 2018. He directed much of his ire to Goodell for trying to reduce concussions in the NFL.
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He also criticized football player Eric Reid, who kneeled during the national anthem to protest systemic racism and police violence against Black people, and said that Reid should be fired.
Gruden used homophobic insults to describe several people he disagreed with, including Goodell and NFL team owners, other coaches, and even journalists.
He also used racist insults, like saying that NFL PLayers’ Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, who is Black, “has lips the size of michellin tires” in a 2011 email. Gruden told the Wall Street Journal that he did not recall that email, and he said he sometimes describes people as having “rubber lips” if he thinks they’re lying.
The New York Times also said that Gruden made fun of Caitlyn Jenner when she won an award in 2015 but the newspaper didn’t say exactly what he wrote. In another email, he replied to a sexist meme about a female referee with “Nice job roger.”
This past June, Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out, and in September he became the first out NFL player to play in a regular season game for the Raiders.
Publicly, Gruden welcomed Nassib’s coming out.
“I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great,” he said at the time.
ESPN journalist Adam Schefter posted a statement from Gruden to Twitter.
“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” the statement says. “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 statement: “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.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2021
