Jon Gruden, the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, has recently resigned from head coach after a report was released stating that he used homophobic and mysogynistic language in emails during a seven year period between 2010-2018. Just a day after losing to the Chicago Bears to drop the Raiders to 3-2 on the season, Gruden issued a statement of resignation and apology. “I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction,” Gruden stated. “I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.” Even after this apology, many NFL players and fans alike think that resignation was the right choice. 

Gruden’s resignation came shortly after the New York Times reported that he used this derogatory language to Bruce Allen, then the president of the Washington Redskins. They also exchanged topless photos of Redskins cheerleaders. Allen was fired after a 3-13 season in 2019 and has since been replaced with Jason Wright. Wright, in his first season as president, led Washington to their first playoff appearance since 2015. 

One email Gruden sent criticized the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, saying that he shouldn’t have pressured former St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher to draft Michael Sam, an openly gay NFL player drafted in the 7th round of the 2014 Draft. Other statements include using the f-slur to describe Goodell, a racist comment towards NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, and using harsh language to describe other owners, coaches, and media members. 

The NFL Players Association stated that it plans to petition the NFL to release all of the 650,000 emails reviewed, many including Bruce Allen. “We have had communications with the league, and the NFLPA plans to request that the NFL release the rest of the emails,” DeMaurice Smith told USA Today Sports. Another NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah confirmed that the union planned to request the emails, although an NFL spokesperson told USA Today that it has no plans to release the emails for confidentiality reasons. 

Until the Raiders find a new head coach to fill Gruden’s job, assistant coach Rich Bisaccia will serve as interim head coach. After starting the season 3-0, the Raiders had lost two straight to the Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears before bouncing back against the Denver Broncos. Derek Carr carried the Raiders over the Broncos 34-24 after having his best passer rating of the season.