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Jon Gruden resigns as Las Vegas Raiders head coach

 

Following recent articles in The Wall Street Journal and New York Times detailing the use of racist, homophobic and misogynistic terms by Jon Gruden in emails reportedly dating back to 2010, Gruden has resigned as Las Vegas Raiders head coach, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Monday night.

Gruden was five games into the fourth season of a 10-year contract with the franchise, for which he previously coached in a prior stint.

“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” Gruden said in a statement, obtained by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. “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.”

Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is expected to be named the Raiders’ interim head coach, Rapoport reported.

The resignation of Gruden, 58, comes three days removed from a report from the The Wall Street Journal that detailed a 2011 email in which he used a racial trope to describe NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, who is Black, and less than two hours after the release of a New York Times article on Monday night that revealed Gruden used homophobic and misogynistic terms in other emails dating back to 2010.

Gruden spoke with Raiders owner Mark Davis on Monday to inform Davis of his decision to step down, Pelissero reported.

Davis released a short statement Monday night.

“I have accepted Jon Gruden’s resignation as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” Davis said.

Having coached the Raiders initially from 1998-2001, Gruden returned to the franchise in 2018 and signed a 10-year, $100 million contract to become the head coach once again.

Less than halfway through his contract, Gruden is leaving the franchise after a fall that began Friday and concluded Monday.

Around the NFL will have more shortly.