Fallout from Jon Gruden’s leaked emails: Everything you need to know
Jon Gruden resigned as coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after a series of leaked emails that included racist, anti-gay and misogynist remarks.
Gruden responded to an initial email leak, one where the coach said NFLPA President DeMaurice Smith had “lips the size of Michelin tires.” Additional emails came to light, which included disparaging comments against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and former player Michael Sam, the league’s first openly gay player, in 2014.
It’s a strikingly different narrative for the coach who won a Super Bowl as the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was the Monday Night Football analyst on ESPN and received a 10-year, $100-million contract from the Raiders in 2018.
The New York Times revealed exactly what Gruden said in the emails:
“In the emails, Gruden called the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, a ‘f****t’ and a ‘clueless anti football p***y’ and said that Goodell should not have pressured Jeff Fisher, then the coach of the Rams, to draft ‘q***rs,’ a reference to Michael Sam, a gay player chosen by the team in 2014.”
Here’s everything we know about the fallout of the situation.
What Gruden said about his emails
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Here’s what Gruden wrote to announce his resignation following the email leak. He has not been available to the media for questions.
“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction,” Gruden said. “Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”
Here's how Smith reacted to Gruden's comments
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Smith conducted a lengthy 1-on-1 conversation with USA TODAY. Here is just one of his many illuminating thoughts on the situation.
“I don’t want to say it doesn’t matter who says it, because that’s not really true. But the reality is we know all sorts of people do that. People of all positions do that, and the fact that it was a coach or this coach didn’t matter as much as it simply confirms that people are still looking at you and saying things about you to your face that you know are substantially different from the way that they characterize you or caricaturize you behind your back.”
Nassib hasn't addressed the media, and decided to take a personal day after the news
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Nassib decided to take some time away from football, per general manager Mike Mayock.
“He just said he’s got a lot to process, there’s a lot that’s been going on the last few days, and of course we support that request,” Mayock told reporters.
There was an outpouring of support for Nassib, with For The Win’s Chris Korman writing that Nassib doesn’t deserve this. Gruden has done tremendous harm, according to Korman.
Raiders owner Mark Davis has yet to address the situation, but GM Mike Mayock issues a statement
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Following the release of Gruden’s statement, Davis responded with the following message: “I have accepted Jon Gruden’s resignation as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.”
In the wake of such significant events, the comments felt insufficient. Davis, however, would not provide further comments when pressed by an ESPN reporter. Mayock had much more to say about the issue, including an opening statement and a few answers for reporters.
“The way I grew up the Raiders always stood for diversity,” Mayock said in his opening statement. “They had the first Latino quarterback Tom Flores who also became the second Latino head coach, the first African American head coach was Art Shell, the first female CEO was Amy Trask. Obviously, all of that was under Al Davis’s watch. Now, this week his son Mark Davis, I think, had a tough time. He had a tough week. He had to gather facts, he had to do his due diligence, and since the day I took this job almost three years ago, what Mr. Davis has preached has been three things; it’s been Diversity, Social Justice, and Domestic Violence.”
The Raiders placed Rich Bisaccia in the interim-coach role, and they have 9 good options if they want to replace him
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Bisaccia, 61, was the special teams coordinator since 2018. He served in that role for four NFL teams (Buccaneers, Chargers, Cowboys, Raiders) from 2002 through 2021 after a long career in college football. Bisaccia has also been the assistant head coach for the Chargers, Cowboys and Raiders.
If Las Vegas feels they need to move on from Bisaccia and hire a new head coach at the end of the season, they could look at the following candidates.
Cowboys OC Kellen Moore
Bills OC Brian Daboll
Panthers OC Joe Brady
Raiders DC Gus Bradley
Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles
Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy
Rams DC Raheem Morris
Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich
Oklahoma HC Lincoln Riley
We breakdown, in detail, what each coach could bring to the Raiders.
The Raiders' standing in the NFL is likely to take a hit
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
USA TODAY’s Nate Davis believes the Raiders (3-2) are likely to tumble down the standings and, in turn, power rankings around the NFL. He wrote about why the Raiders, once ranked 11th-best in the NFL, are now sitting at 23rd-best in the NFL.
“23. Raiders (11): This franchise finally seemed to be on solid footing, then the bottom falls out with Jon Gruden’s stunning demise. This could set Silver and Black back years, but outcome was inevitable … and correct.”
Vegas, meanwhile, is facing +133 odds to beat the Denver Broncos in Week 6. The spread for the game has the Raiders at +3.5.
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