LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Raiders' head coach Jon Gruden is out of a job after a trove of newly surfaced emails reportedly contained homophobic comments about players and the NFL commissioner.
In a statement released by the Raiders Gruden has resigned.
Gruden's full statement:
"I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone."
"I have accepted Jon Gruden’s resignation as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders," Mark Davis said in a statement sent by the team.
Tom Pelissero with the NFL Network was the first to report Gruden's resignation.
News first broke of a 2011 email that contained racially insensitive remarks made by Gruden against NFL players association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith Friday evening after reports were published by the Wall Street Journal and ESPN.
Other emails reportedly use derogatory and homophobic names for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and players who protested during the playing of the national anthem before the third trove of emails came out Monday evening, just hours after Gruden addressed the first two groups of emails that came out.
These emails were sent while Gruden was working for ESPN as a color analyst during “Monday Night Football,” according to the report.
Gruden was is in the fourth year of a 10-year, $100 million contract he signed with the Raiders in 2018.
Gov. Steve Sisolak was quick to condemn the email content, posting to his Twitter account, "This kind of behavior is unacceptable and reprehensible. Las Vegas is a welcoming city and the Raiders are a part of our family. There’s no place for hate here."
The team says Rich Bisaccia will serve as interim head coach effective immediately and will meet with the media at the regularly scheduled media availability on Wednesday.
