Richie Incognito wants to see ex-Raiders HC Jon Gruden back coaching in NFL - "He's good for football"
For Jon Gruden to return to the NFL, a miracle would have to happen. The former Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach fell into disgrace after e-mails sent in 2011 using racist language were leaked to the media in 2021, and soon after, Gruden resigned from the Raiders.
Although many people have forgotten about Jon Gruden, he has an ongoing lawsuit against the NFL regarding the years left on his contract. That's not going to end anytime soon, making his return to the league almost impossible.
Still, some of the people who worked with him wish to see Jon Gruden on the sidelines again. Former NFL guard Richie Incognito, himself a controversial figure of his own, spoke to Maxx Crosby about his relationship with their former coach and his wish to see him back in the league:
[From 44:36] "My parents live down in Naples, Florida so whenever I'm down there I go up to Tampa to play golf with him," Incognito said. "So he's in good spirits, you know, he's great, he's got his office, he's watching film, he's breaking things down, but I'd just love to see him back in the game man he's good for football."
While Incognito might want him back on the sidelines, the content of the emails Gruden sent is another reason why that is very unlikely to happen.
What did Jon Gruden say?
Jon Gruden sent an email to Bruce Allen, the former team president of the Washington Commanders, in 2011 where he used racist, insensitive language to refer to NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.
According to the New York Times, in the email, Gruden called Smith "Dumborris Smith," and said that "he had lips the size of Michelin tires." At the time, Gruden worked for ESPN as an analyst on Monday Night Football, seven years before he got back into coaching with the Raiders.
The NFL and the NFLPA were in a tough spot in 2011, as the two sides couldn't come to an agreement on the terms of the new CBA, which forced a lockout that threatened the 2011 NFL season.
DeMaurice Smith, the former executive director of the NFLPA, released a statement after Jon Gruden's e-mails were released:
"This is not the first racist comment that I've heard and it probably will not be the last. This is a thick-skin job for someone with dark skin, just like it always has been for many people who look like me and work in corporate America.
"Racism like this comes from the fact that I'm at the same table as they are and they don't think someone who looks like me belongs. I'm sorry my family has to see something like this but I would rather they know. I will not let it define me."
While some figures in the NFL world may want Gruden to return to the league, with him a figure of controversy and amid a lawsuit, that seems a very long way off.