Jeff Fisher responds to Jon Gruden's allegations, says team drafted Michael Sam on merit
Jeff Fisher responds to Jon Gruden's allegations
Jon Gruden was forced to resign from being the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday after multiple emails dating from 2011-2018 were unsurfaced from the investigation into Bruce Allen, former president of the Washington Football Team. The emails included sexist, homophobic, misogynistic and racial slurs directed towards people in the league and even US Presidents. One of the allegations Jon Gruden levied pertained to former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher.
Jeff Fisher was the coach of the Rams during the 2014 NFL Draft when he drafted Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted. Jon Gruden's allegation was that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had pressured Jeff Fisher to draft "queers". Gruden must have seen it as a PR move for the NFL rather than a player getting drafted for his talent. There was never a real investigation done into Michael Sam getting drafted to the Rams, but Jeff Fisher did call out Jon Gruden for his comments in the emails.
Jumping on Twitter to clarify the below.
Hope everyone is doing good.😎👇🏽 https://t.co/4bqFDUYSR6
Jeff Fisher released the above statement on Twitter to shut down the claims from Jon Gruden. Fisher simply stated that he decided to draft Michael Sam on his own terms due to his pass-rushing ability and production in college as the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Fisher said he never drafted players based on a variety of personal qualities, including sexuality. The NFL never played a role in his decision and he continues to stand beside Michael Sam.
Jon Gruden to the @reviewjournal on Carl Nassib coming out: “I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great.”
Jon Gruden, in 2014: Gruden said Jeff Fisher's Rams were "pressured to draft “queers,' a reference to Michael Sam" twitter.com/nytimes/status…
Michael Sam never really had a career in the NFL after being drafted, but the same thing happens to dozens of players every year. It's hard to accept any allegations in Jon Gruden's emails with all of the slander and slurs involved. A significant detail in this affair is that Jon Gruden sent these emails while being the head coach of Carl Nassib, an openly gay player on his own roster.
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