Jon Gruden slammed Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, in an email. Gruden confirmed this to ESPN.
Gruden's emails included harsh words for some team owners involved in the labor dispute that led to a lockout in 2011.
The Raiders coach said that he was "in a bad mood at the time" in 2011 and called Roger Goodell an expletive in one of his emails. ESPN aired the statement on Friday night. They were preventing players and coaches doing the things they love by imposing a lockout. Publicly, there were many concerns about the safety of the sport I love. I was working with high school football in Tampa, Florida at that time. There were many parents concerned about their children playing football. It didn't feel right to me."
Gruden didn't identify any of those owners he cited as being negative in relation to labor negotiations.
An official from the league declined to confirm the number of emails that were handed over to Raiders owner Mark Davis or team executives. Gruden said he knew of at least five to seven emails flagged by the league.
A league official would not also address Gruden's specific vitriol directed at Goodell. Although Gruden was not working for the NFL at the time the emails were sent, the NFL said that it was looking into possible disciplinary actions against Gruden.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Gruden sent an email Friday with a racist comment about DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association.
Gruden was at the time employed by ESPN as the lead analyst on Monday Night Football. He said Friday that he is ashamed of De Smith's insult and that he had never thought about racial issues when he sent the email.
According to sources, Gruden's emails have elicited wide-ranging reactions within the Raiders' locker and throughout the league. Sources say that Gruden should face repercussions, while others feel he should be forgiven. One source claims that a Black player gave Gruden a hug and asked him how he could help.
Rod Graves, executive director of Fritz Pollard Alliance, demanded that the NFL and Raiders respond to Gruden’s comments with "a remedy comparable with these painful words."
Graves stated in a Sunday morning statement that Jon Gruden's insensitive comments about DeMaurice Smith were indicative of racism at many levels in professional sports. It also shows that there are irrepressible mindsets at every level of the sports world, including for African Americans. We hope the League and team owners will find a solution to this problem that is as painful as these words. This is another turning point in a society that has become cynical and tolerant of the intellectual potential and leadership of minorities. It is time for it to end.
Gruden stated Friday that he had spoken to Davis and plans to meet again. Davis stated Friday that Gruden's email contained "disturbing" content and was not what the Raiders stand behind. Brian McCarthy, a league spokesperson, condemned Gruden's email and called it "appalling and abhorrent" and in direct contradiction to the NFL's values.
