The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced they would reinstate former head coach Jon Gruden into their Ring of Honor. This honor recognizes legends of the past who greatly impacted the franchise’s history. It can be awarded to players, coaches, and individuals. Not all teams across the NFL have this recognition system due to varying parameters and practices. The Buccaneers reinstated Gruden on Thursday, February 28, 2025.
Gruden was first inducted into Tampa Bay’s Ring of Honor in 2017. His accomplishments proved him worthy of such praise. In 2002–his first regular season as head coach–Gruden led the Buccaneers to their first-ever Super Bowl victory. He also became the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. For the next six seasons through 2008, Gruden accumulated a total regular season score of 57-55 with the Buccaneers.
When his time at Tampa Bay was over, Gruden hung the coaching towel and worked as a game analyst for ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcasts from 2009 to 2017. He was satisfied with his job, but rumors spread of Gruden coaching again. The Las Vegas Raiders were also hungry to have Gruden back after he coached the team from 1998-2001. Gruden initially dismissed these rumors and advances. Eventually, he gave in and signed a 10-year, $100 million contract with the Raiders in 2018.
In 2021 (his fourth season as the Raiders head coach), multiple emails Gruden sent to Washington Club Executive Bruce Allen between 2011 and 2018 were leaked by both The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Previously in 2020, the Washington Commanders (then known as the Washington Redskins) were under investigation for sexual harassment allegations. Because of this, independent investigators gathered the emails Gruden sent to Allen. Which of those investigators leaked the emails to the media outlets and why is still unknown.
The first email leak involved Gruden using racially insensitive language to describe NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMauric Smith. In the second leak, Gruden used homophobic slurs to criticize the Los Angeles Rams for drafting a gay player (defensive lineman Michael Sam in 2014) as well as to describe particular NFL owners, coaches, and journalists. These leaks led Gruden to resign as Las Vegas’s head coach. Gruden also filed lawsuits against the NFL and Roger Goodell for intentionally seeking to destroy his career and reputation.
Gruden has not been coaching much since then and his lawsuit is still ongoing as last reported in October of 2024 by Associated Press News. Yet, he seems to be making a return. Gruden joined the New Orleans Saints as a consultant in 2023 and appeared at the Kansas City Chiefs training camp in the 2024 offseason. His name was mentioned alongside the Raiders in the latest hiring cycle and he also reconnected with the Buccaneers, who forgave and reinstated him into their Ring of Honor.
