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Jon Gruden looking for ‘another shot’ after ‘shameful’ email controversy

by: Austin Brezina08/31/22AustinBrezina59
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Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said recently that he was “ashamed” of the email scandal that cost him his NFL job. Gruden resigned as the Raiders coach in October of last year during the season after emails of his came to light that contained highly controversial language. While admitting that he was disappointed in himself for his words, Gruden proclaimed that he was a “good person” still and shared that he hopes he’ll get another NFL shot.

Jon Gruden hopes for NFL return after email scandal

Gruden was ousted as the head coach of the Raiders after his emails were made public due to an NFL investigation into the workplace conditions of the Washington Commanders. Gruden had been messaging former Washington executive Bruce Allen, and the contents of his emails contained racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language.

“I’m ashamed about what has come about in these emails, and I’ll make no excuses for it,” Gruden said at the Little Rock Touchdown Club in Arkansas. “It’s shameful. But, I am a good person. I believe that. I go to church. I’ve been married for 31 years. I’ve got three great boys. I still love football. I’ve made some mistakes. But I don’t think anybody in here hasn’t. And I just ask for forgiveness and, hopefully, I get another shot.”

His resignation from the NFL came very quickly after the story broke via a series of articles from the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Gruden had previously stepped a way from ESPN’s Monday Night Football to take over the Raiders with a 10-year deal worth a reported $100 million in 2018.

Since his resignation, Gruden has filed a lawsuit against the NFL for “tortious interference” after his emails were the only ones made public during the investigation. Gruden claimed that his emails were selectively leaked by the NFL in an effort to force him out of the league. The emails in question were not written while he was employed by the NFL, but were from his time as an ESPN employee.