'Disturbing' - Raiders owner Mark Davis condemns string of racist emails sent by Jon Gruden
An email sent by Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was made public for the language he used this week. The email, which was sent by Gruden in 2011 when he was working as the Monday Night Football co-host on ESPN, contained racial insensitivities by Gruden in reference to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. The email was sent during the NFL lockout on 2011.
To defend himself, Gruden then stated that he also had choice words for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, which doesn't seem to make what he did any better.
This immediately sparked conversations about how the situation should be handled by the Las Vegas Raiders organization as well as the National Football League.
On Saturday, Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis released a statement on the team's official Twitter page with his stance on Gruden's behavior.
NFL statement: “The email from Jon Gruden denigrating DeMaurice Smith is appalling, abhorrent and wholly contrary to the NFL’s values. We condemn the statement and regret any harm that its publication may inflict on Mr. Smith or anyone else.” twitter.com/andrewlbeaton/…
Raiders' owner Mark Davis as well as former NFL players, take stance on Gruden e-mail situation
Las Vegas Raiders owner, Mark Davis, stated that he learned about the email from a reporter late last week. Davis said that he and the Raiders organization were also reviewing other information that the NFL had provided them as well but didn't disclose or give any insight about what that other information was.
Davis closed the statement by saying that he had spoken to Jon Gruden and would address the situation, but he wouldn't be making any more comments about the situation at the moment.
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On the weekly Sunday morning NFL pre-game shows, there were plenty of opinions on the situation. Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, who played for Jon Gruden, said that he didn't believe that Gruden is a racist and that he made a mistake.
Whereas fellow Hall of Famer Randy Moss stated that Gruden's behavior, although it was ten years ago, shouldn't be tolerated and that he should be punished for the comments.
Davis stated that he is 'addressing the issue' with Gruden but didn't provide further information. Would Davis suspend and/or fine Gruden for his past behavior? He could, which would allow the Raiders organization to take a stand and let others know that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.
The National Football League could also suspend or punish Gruden for his behavior in the emails, but it remains to be seen how this situation will be handled and if a precedence is set for the future.
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