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Jon Gruden is the worst kind of fraud

Jon Gruden, who was the coach of the 3-1 Raiders and their best year in years, was out of the NFL within a week

By Damian PetersPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
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Jon Gruden, who was the coach of the 3-1 Raiders and their best year in years, was out of the NFL within a week. Gruden resigned as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night following another damning report from the New York Times.

A New York Times report extending on previous details regarding Gruden revealed that the coach had a history of prejudice. Gruden was accused of sending emails to Bruce Allen, the former Washington president, that contained not only racist remarks but also misogyny about women being NFL referees. Gruden also suggested that Eric Reid, who was a leader of the protest movement along with Colin Kaepernick should be fired. He finished it off with a homophobic slur when talking about Roger Goodell and another regarding the Rams' draft of Michael Sam, an openly homosexual man.

All this happened after a report that Gruden said that DeMaurice Smith, the NFLPA head, had "lips the same size as Michelin tires." Gruden attempted to evade the charge by saying he didn't "have a racist bone" and then he made the absurd excuse that he called liars "rubber lip". This idiom seems to have no basis in any lexicon, except Gruden's, especially when Gruden is trying to defend a racist remark

Now we know the truth about Jon Gruden. It's not only his arrival in Las Vegas that saw him trade away the best players of the team, sabotaging the confidence of quarterback Derek Carr and then destroying them with his hatred when they get better -- but also the receipts that we have that show Gruden is a fraud.

Gruden was a lying bag of trash when it came to praising Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib's coming out. Gruden also said that Roger Goodell was "f *****"" and Michael Sam was "queer."

Was Gruden "surprised" by the fact that no team signed Colin Kaepernick for 2018? This is curious, as he was advocating that a player be fired for taking a stand against social justice issues.

This also shows a very different view of Gruden's 2018 decision to sign Richie Incognito (a player with a history of bullying, racism and homophobia). Gruden would call Incognito a "leader of this football team" after he signed a contract extension in 2019.

We will be exposed to more Gruden lies in the days ahead. There were times when he publicly praised Monday Night Football players for taking a stand while privately advocating that they be canned. Moments when he said having women referees was "great for the sport," while emailing his friend to complain about them. Gruden has proven that he is a lying liar. I won't go through dozens upon hours of Grudenisms. This is the same man that claimed he had Covid at training camp. He said it was a lesson on "readiness".

Gruden's statement after he resigned from the Raiders is the only thing that I believe in this entire situation.

"I never intended to hurt anyone," is the whole point. Only those who intend to hurt people by their hatred are those who have made it a part of their brand. They've created an audience of angry saps who will pay a lot of money to support someone who's "edgy." Far more people keep their biases hidden and quietly influence their decisions without ever letting them out. These individuals are aware that they're hurting others, but don't want other people to see it. This is far more widespread and destructive than it appears because it can go unchecked so long.

The question is: What does Gruden really mean by saying he "loves Raiders"? Is he passionate about the Raiders? Their history and stature. He clearly doesn't love the players. His public and private speech patterns have already been inconsistent. The damage was already done when Gruden was being questioned by players about his weekend before and after the Bears' crushing loss. Gruden did not decide to step aside because he was "not wanting to be a distractor," as he would have done last week when he became an obstruction. This is not the act of someone who knew he wasn't eligible for the NFL. His prejudice was exposed and he likely knows more.

It's good that Jon Gruden has resigned from the NFL. The better it is for small-minded bigots to be out of leadership positions. It is a shame that Las Vegas gave him the opportunity to leave on his terms and with dignity rather than having to fire him. Gruden did a disservice to the Raiders and its reputation. He also made it difficult for the many players who were under his supervision to feel marginalized or vilified by learning that they were being led by a snake. Gruden's only salvation is the fact that he will never be able to get a job again in football.

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