Jon Gruden Resigns Following Public Backlash to Emails

This comes as a result of the recent revelation that Gruden repeatedly made offensive & racist remarks, as well as used anti-gay slurs throughout a variety of emails from 2011-2018.

Why Now?

If you’re anything like me, then you were left wondering: “Why Now?”. The initial email that made headlines was said to have occurred in 2011, yet it is just now becoming public knowledge.

Washington Football Team

Jon Gruden can thank the Washington Football Team, as the NFL’s investigation into the workplace misconduct of that team is what caused these emails to come to the surface.

Is ‘Rubber Lips’ Racist?

Gruden somewhat tried to sidestep responsibility of the racist remarks he made about DeMaurice Smith, stating that has often uses the term ‘Rubber Lips’ to describe someone that is clearly lying and struggles to get the words out.

That being said, in the email in question, Gruden claims that Smith “has lips the size of Michellin tires”, with no reference to the term or phrase ‘rubber lips’. So in the end his explanation comes off as disingenuous.

Evidence Piles Up

Based on the recent timeline of events regarding the Jon Gruden email scandal, it would seem as though Gruden and the Raiders were confident Jon could withstand and survive backlash related to his comments about DeMaurice Smith.

However once further evidence and additional emails became public knowledge, Gruden was seemingly forced to step down.

Ultimately his decision to resign is likely due to his blatant comments regarding the Rams being pressured by Gooddell to draft “queers” in reference to defensive end Michael Sam. Even Gruden must’ve realized there’s no fancy way to explain his way out of those comments.

Conclusion

Has ‘justice been served’ as it relates to this situation? Perhaps. Though it seems likely that things may get worse before they get better for Gruden, as his willingness to step down amidst the backlash makes me think there may be some even worse information yet to be revealed. Time will tell, but I’d be willing to bet that Gruden’s NFL days are done.