Jon Gruden’s venture back into NFL coaching hasn’t gone as planned.
His coaching has slowly improved over the last four seasons, with his record going from 4-12 to starting out this season with a 3-1, but it seems some old news from a decade ago has caught up with him. As the Wall Street Journal reports, in 2011, Gruden made a racist comment about NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, who is Black.
At the time, Gruden was a correspondent for Monday Night Football. Amidst a lockout season, he sent an email to the president of the Washington Football Team in July, which read, “Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin tires.”
Once the news got out, he apologized via ESPN, saying, “I’m ashamed I insulted De Smith. I never had a racial thought when I used it. … I’m embarrassed by what’s out there. I certainly never meant for it to sound that bad.”
Gruden went on to say the term “rubber lipped” is a term he often used for people who he knows are lying but refuse to admit it, but also says that the email took it “too far.”
The NFL released a statement late Friday afternoon to denounce Gruden’s actions, with a possible punishment to follow.
“The email from Jon Gruden denigrating DeMaurice Smith is appalling, abhorrent, and wholly contrary to the NFL’s values,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. “We condemn the statement and regret any harm that its publication may inflict on Mr. Smith or anyone else.”
Once Twitter users got word of Gruden’s racist comments, they immediately began to roast the Oakland Raiders coach. Check out some of the best reactions below:
1.
“Yeah I know that video of me and the girl LOOKS bad but let me tell you about Jon Gruden” pic.twitter.com/IB18B7VzAf
— Gloria Ironbachs (1-3) (@VikingWolfMW) October 8, 2021
2.
Jon Gruden was 48 years old in 2011. https://t.co/p5XR3z7Gmr
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 8, 2021
3.
Jon Gruden after the Raiders go .500 again pic.twitter.com/l86FhC49op
— Kyle Ledbetter (@CSM_MemesInsta) October 8, 2021
4.
Urban Meyer after finding out Jon Gruden took over as donkey NFL coach of the week pic.twitter.com/zOaC6PRzrB
— Safid Deen (@Safid_Deen) October 8, 2021
5.
Your annual reminder that Jon Gruden said this in an interview to Playboy in 2003. pic.twitter.com/RpyOvmxN9a
— Danny Heifetz (@Danny_Heifetz) October 5, 2021
6.
Urban Meyer telling the NFL about Jon Gruden pic.twitter.com/chiTXIwtoo
— Sir Yacht (@SirYacht_) October 8, 2021
7.
Jon gruden talking to the NFL during the lockdown 10 years ago pic.twitter.com/1y9zJS8j6N
— 𝕃𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕪 wants evan neal (@KxngLenny_) October 8, 2021
8.
Jon Gruden when he drives to the stadium every day pic.twitter.com/L9I8vYNddu
— iamTHEREALVEGASMURPH (@RealMurphdog916) October 8, 2021
9.
Jon Gruden thinking about excuses right now like… pic.twitter.com/B8loHjFlpD
— SportzStew Ⓥ (@sportzstewcom) October 8, 2021
10.
I’m gunna tell my kids this was Jon Gruden…. pic.twitter.com/Qi2Lws7S46
— Master Marco Polo (@srchilaquilles) October 8, 2021
11.
Jon Gruden: I don’t have a racist bone in my body.
The bones: pic.twitter.com/dfNyxjBTDA
— Rod (@rodimusprime) October 8, 2021
12.
It’s so funny seeing white guys claiming to to be expert’s on what considered to be racist to black people going through these Jon Gruden tweets pic.twitter.com/4fgM510RM9
— CyclopsIsBetterThanWolverine (@Krakoan4Life) October 8, 2021
13.
How Jon Gruden looked when Mark Davis asked him about the racist email pic.twitter.com/9EwT1xYsQO
— CyclopsIsBetterThanWolverine (@Krakoan4Life) October 8, 2021
14.
Jon Gruden fixing to bring Riley Cooper out of retirement pic.twitter.com/RAsQfYsNaE
— Washington Football Fan (@Boss_Hogg_81) October 9, 2021
15.
Marcellus Wallace when he sees Jon Gruden in the street: pic.twitter.com/1XxeCpCuJG
— SportzStew Ⓥ (@sportzstewcom) October 8, 2021
Twitter Roasts NFL Coach Jon Gruden After He Used Racist Comment In 2011 Email About NFLPA Boss DeMaurice Smith was originally published on cassiuslife.com