Jon Gruden resigns as Raiders coach amid fallout over racist, homophobic emails

Las Vegas Raiders Coach Jon Gruden resigned on Monday night, days after emails he sent containing racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments came to light.

In a statement, Gruden said he loves the Raiders and doesn't want to be "a distraction," adding: "Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone." Gruden was hired by the Raiders in 2018, signing a 10-year, $100 million contract. It has not been announced who will step in and serve as interim coach.

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that in a 2011 email to former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen, Gruden used a racist trope to describe NFL union chief DeMaurice Smith. The New York Times went on to reveal that in other emails, Gruden used homophobic and misogynistic terms when talking about NFL officials, including Commissioner Roger Goodell, and decried efforts to draft a gay player. At the time, Gruden was an analyst for ESPN.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The emails were discovered during a workplace misconduct investigation into the Washington Football Team, and an NFL official told The Associated Press they were sent to the Raiders last week. On Friday, Raiders owner Mark Davis said the email about Smith was "disturbing and not what the Raiders stand for," and the messages were under review.