NFL notebook: Gruden out as Raiders coach over offensive emails – pressherald.com
Jon Gruden is out as coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after emails he sent before being hired in 2018 contained racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments.
A person familiar with the decision said Monday that Gruden is stepping down after The New York Times reported that Gruden frequently used misogynistic and homophobic language directed at Commissioner Roger Goodell and others in the NFL.
The NFL Network first reported the development.
It was a rapid downfall for Gruden, who is in the fourth year of a 10-year, $100 million contract he signed with the Raiders in 2018. It started on Friday when the Wall Street Journal reported that Gruden used a racist term to describe NFL union chief DeMaurice Smith in a 2011 email to former Washington executive Bruce Allen.
The emails were discovered in a workplace misconduct investigation into the Washington Football Team but ended up costing Gruden his job when they also showed Gruden denounced the drafting of a gay player and the tolerance of players protesting during the playing of the national anthem among other issues.
Gruden apologized for his “insensitive remarks” about Smith, saying they were made out of frustration over the 2011 lockout. But the latest emails sent from between 2011-18 when Gruden was an analyst for ESPN show his use of derogatory language went well beyond that.
A league source confirms the accuracy of the emails and said they were sent to the Raiders last week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league hasn’t made the emails public.
Raiders owner Mark Davis said last week that the email about Smith was “disturbing and not what the Raiders stand for” and said the team was reviewing the additional emails.
The Times reported that Gruden used a gay slur to insult Goodell and said he was “clueless” and “anti-football.” He also said Goodell shouldn’t have pressured the Rams to draft “queers,” a reference to Michael Sam, who was the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team.
Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay in June and is the first openly gay player to appear in an NFL game.
In a 2017 email, the Times said Gruden responded to a sexist meme of a female official by saying: “Nice job roger.”
The paper also said Gruden criticized Goodell and the NFL 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.
The newspaper said Gruden also mocked an article in 2017 about players calling on Goodell to support their efforts promoting racial equality and criminal justice reform.
“He needs to hide in his concussion protocol tent,” Gruden wrote.
Gruden and Allen have a long relationship, having worked together in Oakland and Tampa Bay. The emails between the two and other men included photos of women wearing only bikini bottoms, including one photo of two Washington team cheerleaders.
Gruden also criticized President Barack Obama during his re-election campaign in 2012, and then-vice president Joe Biden.
Smith said earlier Monday that he appreciates that Gruden reached out to him following the initial report, but that the email is evidence that the fight against racism is ongoing.
“But make no mistake, the news is not about what is said in our private conversation, but what else is said by people who never thought they would be exposed and how they are going to be held to account,” Smith wrote in a Twitter thread.
Gruden’s comments to Allen about Smith came during the 2011 lockout of the players by the NFL. Gruden told the Wall Street Journal he was angry about the lockout during labor negotiations and he didn’t trust the direction the union was taking.
“Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin tires,” Gruden wrote in the email reviewed by the newspaper.
BILLS: In putting the finishing touches on Buffalo’s most resonating win of the season, cornerback Tre’Davious White made his way to the sideline after recovering Patrick Mahomes’ fumble with a message to the few Chiefs fans who remained.
“Bye bye,” White said, waving his hand.
In the pouring rain at Arrowhead Stadium, White and the Bills enjoyed a cleansing moment in closing out a 38-20 victory in the early hours of Monday morning.
Over a thunderstorm-delayed outing, Buffalo’s offense and defense were lights out in vanquishing the one opponent who stood in their way of reaching the Super Bowl last season.
The 38 points matched the Chiefs’ output in a 38-24 win over the Bills in the AFC championship game in January. Josh Allen’s 315 yards passing and three touchdowns mirrored Mahomes’ 325-yard, three-TD outing the last time they met.
And this time, Buffalo’s defense flexed its muscles by forcing four takeaways after wilting in two losses to the Chiefs last season, including a 26-17 decision in October.
“Last year left a bad taste in my mouth, so we wanted to come back and play well today,” safety Jordan Poyer said. “We knew we were gonna take some punches. But at the end of the day, nobody blinked.”
While a convincing win in Week 5 might not change the past for Buffalo, it does send a clear message that these Bills should be considered true AFC contenders.
Buffalo improved to 4-1, matching the Los Angeles Chargers for the conference lead through Sunday. Just as important, the Bills eased questions of their potential after their three previous wins came against backup quarterbacks.
The Chiefs (2-3) might be experiencing early-season issues on defense, but their offense entered the game tied for second in the NFL with Buffalo in averaging 33.5 points per outing.
While the Bills offense caught the Chiefs flat-footed with a balanced attack, Buffalo’s defense continued validating early-season impressions of being vastly improved.
Despite yielding a season-high 392 yards to Kansas City, Buffalo has yet to allow an opponent more than 21 points this year. The 64 points allowed are the fewest through the first five games of a season in franchise history.
BENGALS: Quarterback Joe Burrow is healthy and expected to play Sunday after suffering a bruised throat during the loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Burrow was taken to the hospital afterward as a precaution but wasn’t admitted, Coach Zac Taylor said Monday.
“I think he was just having a little difficulty talking, but as the night went on he was better, and as he woke up this morning he came right to the facility and was ready to go,” Taylor said.
Burrow wasn’t sure when he took the hit to his throat, Taylor said. The quarterback was sacked three times and hit at least eight more times. He absorbed a monster hit from two Packers at the end of a second-quarter run that kept him on the ground for an extended period, but he came out for the Bengals’ next offensive series and didn’t miss any time.
BROWNS: Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was released from a Los Angeles-area hospital and cleared to travel after being treated and evaluated for a bruised throat.
Owusu-Koramoah got hurt in the second half of Sunday’s 47-42 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He was taken to a hospital near SoFi Stadium and released Sunday night, according to a team spokesman.
The second-round draft pick from Notre Dame appeared to get hurt while making a tackle in the first quarter. He struggled getting to the sideline and dropped to one knee while grabbing at his throat area.
GIANTS: Rookie receiver Kadarius Toney had his best game of his short NFL career, and had to apologize for it.
The Giants had no problem with his 10 catches for 189 yards in the 44-20 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.
Getting kicked out of the game in the fourth quarter for punching Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee didn’t sit well with Coach Joe Judge. He had some choice words for the 20th overall pick in the draft as he left the field.
Toney, who had 10 catches for 92 yards in the first four games, apologized to Judge and his teammates Monday. Toney said he made a mistake and he has to be more accountable for his emotions and actions.
“It’s more of a moral thing, at the end of the day. I know right from wrong,” Toney said. “At the end of the day, I know that in this sport, it’s not boxing or hockey or anything else where you can just fight and stuff like that. At the end of the day, I’ve got to take responsibility for what I did and that’s just what it is. It was a wrong action.”
Toney also discussed the incident with Judge.
It’s probable Toney will be fined by the NFL and he might also face a suspension. Judge has refused to say whether the team plans to impose any sanctions.
“I like the way this guy has responded to a lot of things and I’m confident he’s going to respond the right way to this,” Judge said.
Toney’s 189 receiving yards set a team rookie record, breaking the mark of 185 yards set by Odell Beckham, Jr. against Philadelphia in 2014. It was also the highest total by a Giants receiver since Beckham had 222 yards against Baltimore in 2016.
Toney hurt an ankle in the game, but he said he expects to play Sunday at MetLife Stadium when the Giants (1-4) play host to the Los Angeles Rams (4-1).
49ERS: Rookie Trey Lance’s first career start featured a bad interception, a couple of promising moments and a knee injury that could sideline him for a week or two.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Lance sprained his left knee during the 17-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and his status for when San Francisco returns from the bye next week remains up in the air.
Shanahan said Lance doesn’t remember when he hurt the knee, but felt it in bed Sunday night and underwent an MRI on Monday. The tests showed the sprain, but the injury is not considered serious.
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