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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 on the leader players union DeMaurice Smith.
Gruden apologized for his “Insensitive 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 Smith’s facial features in an email.
“I am not racist” said Gruden. “I can’t tell you how sick I am. I apologize again to Dr. Smith, but I feel good about myself 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 keep talking about it.
Gruden ended his press conference after a series of questions about the email. He said he had not been contacted by the NFL about the remark, but “we’ll see what happens here in the next few days.”
“I will not answer all these questions today” said Gruden. “I think I’ve touched on it already. I don’t remember a lot of things that happened 10 or 12 years ago.
… I stand here like a guy who doesn’t have a shred of racism in me.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said he was among the many players who were “shocked” to hear about Gruden’s comment ten years ago. Carr said Gruden addressed the issue and gave his side of the story at a team meeting.
“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 support you and we love you, man. … He said to 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 understand what it was.
The head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a watchdog group that advocates for diversity in the NFL, said Gruden’s remark about Smith was indicative of racism in professional sports. Rod Graves, the Alliance’s executive director, 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 Alliance’s executive director, said in a statement. “Further, it reveals that the journey of African Americans and other minorities in sport is fraught with overwhelming mindsets at the highest level.
“We hope that league and team ownership will address this issue with a remedy commensurate with those painful words. This is yet another inflection point in a society full of cynical social blinders, devoid of respect for the intellectual capacity and leadership of minorities. When will this end? “
The league is investigating the matter and a person familiar with the investigation has told The Associated Press that disciplinary action is possible for Gruden. The person 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 took the field Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, but the crowd grumbled after Gruden’s offense only managed 259 yards and a touchdown against the defense of Chicago. The Raiders have lost two games in a row after a 3-0 start to the season, 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.
Gruden’s comment in an email to Washington football president Bruce Allen came during the 2011 NFL lockdown 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 michellin tires” Gruden wrote in the email reviewed by the newspaper.
Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement Friday that Gruden’s email did not reflect the team’s 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 notified 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. “
In a review of emails regarding the Washington football team’s misconduct at work that ended over the summer, “the league has been informed of the existence of emails raising issues beyond the scope of this investigation”, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday.
He added that “Jon Gruden’s email denigrating DeMaurice Smith is appalling, heinous and totally contrary to the values of the NFL. We condemn the statement and regret any harm its publication may inflict on Mr. Smith or on anyone else.
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