Jon Gruden says again he’s not racist after Raiders loss

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LAS VEGAS (AP) Jon Gruden once again declared he was not racist after his Las Vegas Raiders lost their first game since the head coach’s racial remark was revealed in 2011 about the union leader of the players, DeMaurice Smith.

Gruden apologized for his callous remarks when asked about emails ten years old after the Raiders’ 20-9 loss to the Chicago Bears. A Wall Street Journal article last week noted that Gruden, then with ESPN, racistically referred to Smiths’ facial features in an email.

I’m not a racist, says Gruden. I can’t tell you how sick I am. I apologize again to Dr Smith, but I feel good about who I am and what I’ve been doing all my life. … I had no racial intent with these remarks at all. I’m not like that at all. I apologize. I don’t want to continue to approach it.

Gruden ended his press conference after a series of questions about the emails and his behavior. He said he had not been contacted by the NFL about the remark, but let’s see what happens here in the next few days.

I’m not going to answer all of these questions today, says Gruden. I think I have already touched on it. I don’t remember a lot of things that happened 10 or 12 years ago, but I stand here in front of everyone to apologize. I know I don’t have an ounce of racism in me. I’m a guy who takes pride in leading people together, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has said he was among many players who were shocked to hear Grudens’ comment a decade ago. Carr said Gruden addressed the issue and gave his side of the story at a team meeting the morning before the story broke.

He was honest, Carr said. He was blunt with that, and we as a team were like, yeah, coach, that was 10 years ago. We love you, man. We support you. … He told us, Men, learn from my mistake. I don’t want to go into the details of what he told us, but when we left this meeting, we didn’t take it for the way it came out.

Carr and his teammates dismissed the idea that the Grudens controversy affected their game against the Bears. Las Vegas committed 10 penalties for 82 yards and couldn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

I don’t think it has anything to do with (Gruden), running back Josh Jacobs said of the performance. I’ve been around this guy for three years. I never felt that sort of thing about her, you know what I’m saying? He never rubbed me in a certain way, like that kind of way. What he said was what he said … but I really trust him. And I mean, that was 10 years ago. People are growing up.

The head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a watchdog group that advocates for diversity in the NFL, said Grudens’ remark about Smith was indicative of racism in professional sports. Rod Graves, the executive director of Alliances, also hinted at the search for discipline for Gruden.

Jon Gruden’s callous remarks about DeMaurice Smith are indicative of the racism that exists at many levels of professional sport, Graves, the Alliances executive director, said in a statement. Further, it reveals that the journey of African Americans and other minorities in sport is fraught with irrepressible moods at the highest level.

We hope that league and team ownership will resolve this issue with a remedy to match those painful words. This is yet another inflection point in a society full of cynical social blinders, lacking in respect for the intellectual capacity and leadership of minorities. When will this end?

The league is investigating the matter and two people familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that disciplinary action is possible for Gruden, although one person said a suspension was questionable. The two spoke on condition of anonymity as details of any league investigation are not being made public.

Gruden received little noticeable reaction from the Raiders crowd when he stepped onto the pitch on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, but the crowd grumbled after Gruden’s offense managed to pass 259 yards against the defense. from Chicago. The Raiders have lost two games in a row after starting 3-0, their best since Gruden returned to the franchise in 2018.

The Alliance promotes the inclusion and advancement of minorities in professional football, from coaches to leadership and leadership positions in the league.

Grudens comments in an email to Washington football president Bruce Allen during the 2011 NFL lockout of players. Gruden told the newspaper he was angry with the lockout during collective bargaining and did not trust the direction the union was taking. He also apologized for the remark, the Journal reported.

Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michelline tires, Gruden wrote in the email reviewed by the newspaper.

Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement Friday that Grudens’ email did not reflect team standards.

The content of an email regarding Jon Gruden’s DeMaurice Smith when he worked for ESPN 10 years ago is disturbing and not what the Raiders stand for, Davis said. We were first informed of the email late yesterday by a reporter and are reviewing it along with other material provided to us today by the NFL. We are discussing the matter with Coach Gruden and will have no further comments at this time.

During a review of emails regarding Washington football team misconduct that ended over the summer, the league was made aware of the existence of emails raising issues beyond the scope of this investigation, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said on Friday.

He added that Jon Gruden’s email disparaging DeMaurice Smith is appalling, obnoxious and totally contrary to NFL values. We condemn the statement and regret any harm its publication may inflict on Mr. Smith or any other person.

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Professional football writers Barry Wilner and Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

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Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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