Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis declined to further discuss Jon Gruden after he accepted the resignation of the team's former head coach Monday.

"I have no comment. Ask the NFL. They have all the answers," Davis told ESPN's Paul Gutierrez on Wednesday.

Gruden stepped down after Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman of the New York Times reported on racist, anti-gay and misogynistic remarks he made in emails he'd sent dating back to 2011.

The Raiders announced special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia will serve as the team's interim head coach beginning with Sunday's Week 6 road game against the Denver Broncos.

Davis told Gutierrez general manager Mike Mayock would now hold 51 percent of control on roster decisions compared to 49 percent for Bisaccia. It was previously a 51-49 split favoring Gruden over Mayock.

Gruden's emails were revealed as part of an investigation into an alleged toxic workplace culture within the Washington Football Team. Former Washington team president Bruce Allen was involved in various email chains where Gruden made offensive remarks.

Allen previously worked as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' general manager from 2004 through 2008 while Gruden was the Bucs' head coach. He was fired by Washington after the 2019 season.

In July, the NFL announced Washington owner Daniel Snyder received a $10 million fine following the workplace review, but the Washington Post reported Tuesday the league doesn't plan to release further information from the probe, which included a review of 650,000 documents, following the leak of the emails that led to Gruden's resignation.

Yet, the leaks continued Wednesday as an email ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter sent to Allen in 2011 was made public in which he referred to the then-Washington general manager as "Mr. Editor" and asked him to review an article that would soon be published for potential changes, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The NFL Players Association confirmed it plans to request the release of all documents related to the Washington Football Team investigation, per ESPN. Attorneys representing former WFT employees also requested further information about the findings:

Gruden was working for ESPN as a Monday Night Football color commentator and host of specials such as Gruden's QB Camp when the captured email exchanges began. ESPN released a statement calling the comments "clearly repugnant under any circumstance."

He was hired by the Raiders, with whom he received his first head coaching opportunity from 1998 through 2001, in 2018 to restart his coaching career after a 10-year hiatus.

Art Shell, former player and head coach for the Raiders when they were in Oakland and Los Angeles, spoke about the offensive emails from Jon Gruden that led to his resignation as Raiders coach. 

Speaking to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, Shell called Gruden's comments "disappointing. 

"He hurt a lot of people," Shell added. "He hurt himself, too. I mean, I think everybody’s shocked. I was in shock."

Gruden announced his resignation as Raiders head coach on Monday. The decision came after Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman of the New York Times reported the 58-year-old used racist, anti-gay, anti-trans and misogynistic language in a series of emails between 2010 and 2018 in emails that were uncovered by the NFL as part of an investigation into workplace misconduct involving the Washington Football Team. 

The New York Times report was the second story released about Gruden using offensive language in emails. 

Last week, Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal published a report about Gruden saying that DeMaurice Smith, the NFL Players Association executive director, has "lips the size of michellin tires" in a July 2011 email sent to then-Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen. 

"It’s just an unfortunate thing that in today’s world those kinds of thoughts are out there," Shell said about his reaction to reading the emails. "You’d like to think the world is changing. But for some, it’s not. And to put it out there like that? Wow. That was just astonishing to me."

It’s an unfortunate thing that it happened, but it did. So you can’t bury your head in the ground. You gotta move forward. You gotta be positive and move forward as quickly and as fast as you can. The rest of it will take care of itself. Mark will handle the other stuff, but this coach (Rich Bisaccia) has gotta make sure they take care of that football team and get that football team ready to play.

Shell has ties with the Raiders dating back to 1968, when he was a third-round draft pick by the organization. He spent his entire 15-year playing career with the Raiders. 

After his playing days ended, Shell moved into the coaching ranks. He was the Raiders head coach for seven seasons over two stints. The South Carolina native went 56-52 and led them to the playoffs three times, including an appearance in the 1990 AFC Championship Game.    

The NFL Players Association plans to ask the NFL to release emails related to the investigation into the workplace of the Washington Football Team.

“We have had communications with the league, and the NFLPA plans to request that the NFL release the rest of the emails,” NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told Mike Jones of USA Today.

Racist, sexist and anti-gay emails sent by Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden were uncovered in the investigation and leaked over the past week. Gruden subsequently resigned.

The NFL obtained 650,000 emails as part of the investigation but has no plans on publicly releasing any evidence uncovered. Confidentiality was agreed upon before the NFL took over the investigation into the WFT, which led to team owner Dan Snyder paying a $10 million fine and ceding day-to-day operations of the franchise to his wife. 

It's unclear how Gruden's emails were leaked to the press, but it seems likely that any further damage that could come from this investigation will come via leaks. The NFL would open itself up to litigation by breaking confidentiality.

Pressure from the union could lead to a change, though that seems unlikely. 

Former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who played for Jon Gruden in 2002 and 2003 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, called his former coach a "fraud."

Gruden announced his resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night after the New York Times reported on racist, anti-gay and misogynistic emails he'd sent dating back to 2011.

Johnson, who now co-hosts the ESPN show Keyshawn, JWill and Max, provided his take on the situation Tuesday:

The three-time Pro Bowl receiver and Gruden had a falling-out during the 2003 season, which led the Bucs to deactivate him for the final six games of the campaign and bar him from the team's training facility.

Johnson explained his side of the story to ESPN's Shelley Smith in November 2003:

Honestly, I'm very disappointed because I really wanted to win another championship with this team. I was never Gruden's guy. He never liked me. I told him I'd rather retire than play for him in 2004. But I also told him I wouldn't be a distraction, I wouldn't go to the media with it and I didn't. I don't know why they released me. I was playing hard, I wasn't dogging it. Tell everyone I'm in New York looking for apartments.

Johnson was traded to the Dallas Cowboys that offseason. Gruden, who guided the Bucs to a Super Bowl title at the end of the 2002 season, remained in Tampa through 2008.

The emails sent by Gruden that were revealed in recent days came while he was working as the color commentator for ESPN's Monday Night Football and hosting specials on the network, such as the Gruden's QB Camp show that saw him interview and analyze the top quarterbacks in each year's draft class.

"The comments are clearly repugnant under any circumstance," ESPN said in a statement.

Gruden, 58, returned to coaching with the Raiders in 2018. His first head coaching job came with the organization from 1998 through 2001.

His coaching career dates back to 1986, when he started out as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee.

Las Vegas promoted special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia to interim head coach following Gruden's resignation.

The Raiders' season resumes Sunday when they visit the Denver Broncos in Week 6.

In addition to racist remarks about DeMaurice Smith, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden used "misogynistic and homophobic language over several years to denigrate people around the game and to mock some of the league's momentous changes," according to the New York Times' Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman.

The comments were made in messages to former Washington Football team president Bruce Allen and others, and were unearthed when the NFL investigated allegations of workplace misconduct within the WFT organization.

Over the course of the exchanges, Gruden referred to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as a "f----t" and a "clueless anti football p---y," per Belson and Rosman. He also suggested Goodell had leaned on former St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher to draft "q---rs" after the franchise made Michael Sam the first publicly out player selected in the NFL draft in 2014.

Gruden currently coaches Carl Nassib, the first active player to come out as gay.

According to the New York Times, the 58-year-old voiced his opinion on a number of topics:

In numerous emails during a seven-year period ending in early 2018, Gruden criticized Goodell and the league for trying to reduce concussions and said that Eric Reid, a player who had demonstrated during the playing of the national anthem, should be fired. In several instances, Gruden used a homophobic slur to refer to Goodell and offensive language to describe some N.F.L. owners, coaches and journalists who cover the league.

The Wall Street Journal's Andrew Beaton initially reported that Gruden said in an email that Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, had "lips the size of michellin tires."

Smith, who is Black, addressed the situation Monday in a series of tweets:

Shortly after Beaton published his report, Raiders owner Mark Davis said Gruden's comment about Smith was "disturbing and not what the Raiders stand for."

Gruden told Beaton he uses the phrase "rubber lips" as a description of people he believes to be lying, adding that he doesn't "have a racial bone in my body."

Following Las Vegas' 20-9 loss to the Chicago Bears, he apologized again and said he's "not a racist":

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Sunday the NFL had forwarded more correspondence from Gruden to the Raiders. Gruden acknowledged to Mortensen having used an expletive in reference to Goodell. He also said he had been frustrated with some team owners because "they were keeping players and coaches from doing what they love with a lockout."

Beaton reported Friday that the league was examining the matter and "discussing Gruden's status with the club."

Rod Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, issued a statement Monday calling for the Raiders and the NFL to "address this matter with a remedy commensurate with these painful words."

Jon Gruden's tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders is over after four years.

Gruden announced his resignation in a statement Monday night after emails uncovered from his past included racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language, per Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman of the New York Times.

Shortly afterward, Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement that he had accepted Gruden's resignation.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network first reported Gruden was planning to resign.

Suzy Kolber of ESPN (via Adam Schefter of ESPN) reported assistant head coach and special teams coach Rich Bisaccia will be the interim head coach

According to Belson and Rosman, Gruden "denounced the emergence of women as referees, the drafting of a gay player and the tolerance of players protesting during the playing of the national anthem." He also "exchanged emails with [former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen] and other men that included photos of women wearing only bikini bottoms, including one photo of two Washington team cheerleaders."

He also used racist tropes to describe NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith.

The 58-year-old returned to the sidelines after a decade working in television when the Raiders agreed to a 10-year deal worth $100 million. He was extremely confident in his abilities when discussing the massive contract.

"If I can't get it done, I'm not going to take their money," the coach said before his first game in 2018, per Jarrett Bell of USA Today.

But Gruden's tenure offered more bad than good. After a massive rebuild during the 2018 campaign that included trading away Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, things started to turn for the better in recent years, as the Raiders became more competitive.

There were higher expectations in 2020 with the franchise's move to Las Vegas, and the team matched it on the field with a 6-3 start, including a road upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

But things deteriorated in the second half of the year with a stretch of five losses in six games to put the team out of playoff contention before the season-ending win.

A come-from-behind win over the New York Jets saved what would have been an even worse collapse to the season.

It was the second straight late-season slide after the Raiders lost five of six to end the 2019 campaign. The team has started 3-2 in the 2021 season.

Overall, the Raiders went 22-31 in Gruden's second tenure.

There is still a lot of talent on the roster, but the organization must find a new leader to help reach expectations.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden apologized again for the racist remark he made about NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith in a 2011 email.

"I am not a racist. I can't tell you how sick I am," he told reporters Sunday following his team's 20-9 loss to the Chicago Bears. "I apologize again to De Smith. But I feel good about who I am and what I've done my entire life. I apologize for the insensitive remarks, I had no racial intentions with those remarks at all. I'm not like that at all. I don't want to keep addressing it."

The Wall Street Journal's Andrew Beaton reported Gruden wrote to former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen during the 2011 NFL lockout and said that Smith had "lips the size of michellin tires."

Raiders owner Mark Davis described the comment as "disturbing and not what the Raiders stand for."

The NFL echoed Davis' tone in condemning the email:

Gruden told Beaton he uses the phrase "rubber lips" to describe people he believes to be lying. He added that he doesn't "have a racial bone in my body."

The 58-year-old expressed more contrition to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.

"I'm ashamed I insulted De Smith," he said. "I never had a racial thought when I used it. ... I'm embarrassed by what's out there. I certainly never meant for it to sound that bad."

Rod Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, said he hopes the NFL and the Raiders "will address this matter with a remedy commensurate with these painful words," per the Washington Post's Mark Maske. Graves also said Gruden's comments "are indicative of the racism that exist[s] on many levels of professional sports."

Gruden has since confirmed to ESPN's Chris Mortensen the league provided additional correspondences of his to Raiders executives. Among the things he said in the messages, he used an expletive to describe NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and his writing "included harsh words for a handful of team owners who were involved in the 2011 labor disagreement that led to a lockout," per Mortensen.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, despite being in perhaps the biggest position of power in his NFL career, reportedly does not plan to negotiate a contract extension with the team during the 2021 season. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported any talks about a new deal will wait until the offseason. 

Carr entered Week 5 as the NFL's leader in passing yards (1,399) and has been playing the best football of his career.

The three-time Pro Bowler's contract expires after the 2022 season, so the upcoming offseason is a natural time to negotiate an extension. The Raiders also have only $3.9 million in cap space for the 2021 season, per Over the Cap, so waiting on a new deal makes sense from a team perspective.

Despite constant rumors to the contrary, the Raiders have been committed to Carr throughout the Jon Gruden era. Carr has also said he wants to finish his career with the franchise that drafted him in 2014.

"There's still more, and I want to do it here," Carr said over the summer. "I don't want to do it anywhere else. I've said it over and over again—I'd probably quit football if I had to play for somebody else. I'm a Raider for my entire life, and I'm going to root for one team for the rest of my life, and it's the Raiders. I just feel that so strong in my heart."

With the Raiders off to a 3-1 start and Carr playing lights out, odds are the feelings are mutual. It will just take some time to put that commitment on paper.