NFL players attack ‘fraud’ Jon Gruden after racist, anti-gay emails | Las Vegas Raiders

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There was little sympathy from NFL players past and present on Tuesday with Jon Gruden after his resignation from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Gruden left office after releasing emails in which he used racist, homophobic and misogynistic language. In an email that surfaced on Monday, he lamented the NFL drafting “queers” after the St Louis Rams chose gay Michael Sam in 2014. In another message, released on Friday, the players union chief described NFL DeMaurice Smith, who is black, has “lips the size of Michelin tires.”

On his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said: “These opinions have no place in the game…that nonsense doesn’t fly.” Rodgers, one of the most prominent players in the NFL, added that he doesn’t believe the emails Groden sends reflect the league.

How do we proceed after Jon Gruden’s emails??

“I can say with real honesty and pride that these opinions are not shared with the players.. The locker room allows you to have amazing conversations and this is the best way to grow, learn, change and improve yourself” ~ @AaronRodgers12 pic.twitter.com/NZk72hK79S

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 12, 2021

He said: “I can say with real honesty and pride that these opinions are not shared with the players… The dressing room allows you to have great conversations and this is the best way to grow, learn, change and improve yourself.”

McAfee, who played for the Indianapolis Colts before moving to the media, said Groden had no excuses. “You can’t just pretend ignorance, you can’t just say ‘I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.’ Because it’s very clear that if you want to record and write it down, you probably use it every day,” McAfee said.

Keyshawn Johnson, whom Gruden coached when they won the Super Bowl along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002 season, was more outspoken.

“He’s always been a crook to me. …From day one, he’s been a used car salesman. People bought it because he inherited a championship team built by Tony Dungey and Rich McKay,” Johnson said on his ESPN radio show.

. @Keyhawn talks about former coach Jon Gruden:

“Man, this guy is a scammer. You don’t seem to understand that he is selling you something and you are buying it. He has been doing it for years. … Speaking behind people’s backs, that was one of his traits in Tampa.” pic.twitter.com/aKdMwhWPq2

– First Take (@FirstTake) October 12, 2021

Johnson expanded on his views during his later appearance on ESPN’s first shot. “Man, this guy is a scammer. You don’t seem to understand that he’s selling you something and you’re buying it.” “He’s been doing it for years. … Speaking behind people’s backs, that was one of his traits in Tampa.”

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin also worked with Groden in the Buccaneers. “I’m sad for the Raiders. I’m sad for the people who offended them. I’m sad for Coach Groden. It’s a sad comment. That’s the only opinion I care to share at this juncture,” he said Tuesday.

After Sunday’s game, and before emails went public on Monday, arrogant Raiders Yannick Ngakoue was asked how the black players on the team felt about Gruden’s description of Smith. He replied: No comment. In June, Njakwe teammate Karl Nesib became the first active NFL player to come out as gay. At the time, Gruden told ESPN, “I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great.”

In other emails that surfaced on Monday, Gruden called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a “gay” and an “ignorant pussy against football.” They should be fired, said Eric Reed, one of the first players to kneel alongside Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem to protest police brutality; He called then-Vice President Joe Biden a “nervous, clueless pussy”; They exchanged pictures of women wearing bikini bottoms only.

Gruden is known for his feisty and outspoken personality and won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002 season. He later became a mainstay in the ESPN commentary booth before resuming his coaching career with the Raiders in 2018.

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