'I was very shocked' - Derek Carr taken aback by email scandal surrounding former HC Jon Gruden
If your jaw dropped when you saw the news that Jon Gruden's time in Las Vegas was over, you were not alone. Raiders players were equally shocked and confused about what was happening and why. Derek Carr and other players have commented on their new lack of a franchise head coach.
Derek Carr and teammates comment on Jon Gruden's ostracization
According to Heavy, Derek Carr was on the coach's side.
“As a team, we were like, ‘Yeah, Coach, it was 10 years ago. We love you, man. We got your back,’” Carr said Sunday. “We’re just trying to be there for Coach. … I was very shocked (by the email). He’s never shown any of those characteristics at all.”
Those who have watched Jon Gruden commentate on Monday Night Football would say the same. Sharing the booth with African-American Mike Tirico for years, one would think that Gruden wouldn't have had any racial skeletons in his closet at the same time he was talking with Tirico for hours on end.
Jon Gruden last 19 yrs since winning SB with Tony Dungy’s defense:
—45-51 with Tampa Bay
—22-31 with Raiders
—0 playoff wins in 10 seasons
—signed Nathan Peterman
Keyshawn is right. Jon’s a fraud, but a rich one cuz NFL bought his hustle. twitter.com/keyjayandmax/s…
Starting running back Josh Jacobs, a member of Jon Gruden's first draft class in his second stint with the team, also commented.
“I have been around this guy for three years now, and I have never felt a certain type of way about him,” Jacobs said. “He’s never rubbed me a certain type of way. What he said is what he said, at the end of the day. But I definitely trust him. It was 10 years ago. People grow.”
Jacobs' comments came before the coach resigned, but it was clear that the running back was on Gruden's side.
Linebacker Denzel Perryman, a shorter-term tenured player, also commented on the situation before the ousting. He said the coach openly discussed the emails with the players and Perryman quickly brushed the issues aside.
“[Gruden] talked to us about it, and that was it,” Perryman said Sunday. “I literally let it go as soon as we walked out of the meeting room. I wasn’t focused on that … still not focused on that. I don’t know how many years ago it was, I could care less.”
According to Heavy, no players have come out against Jon Gruden. That said, now that he is out of Las Vegas, the players have nothing to risk if they were to speak their minds. The next step is to see if any of the players come out against the ex-Raiders head coach with nothing to lose.
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