LAS VEGAS — Jon Gruden has resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders following reports that emails he wrote over a 10-year period included racist, misogynistic and anti-gay language.
“I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction,” Gruden said in a statement Monday night. “Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis released a short statement saying he has accepted Gruden’s resignation. Assistant coach Rich Bisaccia will serve as interim head coach effective immediately, the team announced. Bisaccia will meet with the media during availability on Wednesday.
The resignation came shortly after The New York Times reported that Gruden used misogynistic and anti-gay language in numerous emails during a seven-year period. That report came days after 10-year-old emails from Gruden surfaced that included a racist comment about NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith as well as a vulgar criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
According to The Times, Gruden sent emails to Bruce Allen, then the president of the Washington Football Team, and others during a seven-year period that ended in 2018.
Gruden emailed Allen that Goodell should not have pressured then-St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher to draft “queers,” referring to former defensive end Michael Sam, a gay player drafted in 2014, according to The Times. The Times also reported that Gruden used an anti-gay slur in several instances while referring to Goodell and used offensive language to describe some owners, coaches and media members who cover the league.
Gruden was employed by ESPN as the lead analyst for Monday Night Football at the time he sent the emails that are now under review.
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