"Not gonna call my head coach racist" - NFL HoFer defends Jon Gruden amid allegations of racism
Jon Gruden was backed by former DL Warren Sapp amidst his ongoing legal troubles brought on by NFL action on allegedly racist comments made by the former Raiders head coach.
Sapp disagreed with the notion that Jon Gruden's description of DeMaurice Smith was racist. He started off by comparing it to his own experience as a black man in the United States' south:
"That's not racist and football per se. It's not racist. It's almost like I asked a question. I said, What's the racist statement? The rest of that is way out of line across the board, but you're not gonna call my head coach racist. I sat in front of him for two years, and I'm a child of the South. I was raised in Florida. There's no way a fire-breathing racist would be in front of me on my speed dial."
He later went on to say that that was the first time Smith being called that was considered racist:
"And we haven't had a real discussion about your tendencies to not see the black man on your level. There's no way Jon Gruden did that. I bet my life on it. That's the first time DeMaurice big lips DeMaurice Smith said somebody called him big lips and it was racist."
Jon Gruden recently got the better of the NFL legally
Jon Gruden is pursuing the NFL in court for leaking his emails to the media. A Nevada judge recently ruled in favor of Gruden by denying the NFL's motion to dismiss his lawsuit against the league and force the issue into arbitration.
I’d pay real money for one of those Jon Gruden to Jack Del Rio e-mails. #Commanders #NFL
The league released a statement denying that they did such a thing:
"We believe Coach Gruden's claims should have been compelled to arbitration, and we will file an appeal of the Court's determination. The Court's denial of our motion to dismiss is not a determination on the merits of Coach Gruden's lawsuit, which, as we have said from the outset, lacks a basis in law and fact and proceeds from a false premise — neither the NFL nor the Commissioner leaked Coach Gruden's offensive emails."
Ultimately, Gruden is expected to stay retired as a head coach until public perception changes. At age 58, he has plenty of time for the bad press to disappear and do what he needs to do to seek and earn a second chance.