HS Alliance
The NFL has no plans to make public the hundreds of thousands of emails it received in connection with an investigation into the Washington Football Club, some of which led to the resignation of the Las Vegas coach. Raiders Jon Gruden.
“Based on the documents we reviewed, we did not identify anything that should be reported to club or league management,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Associated on Tuesday. Press. “We did not publish any emails during this process.”
The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported that from 2011-18, while he was an ESPN analyst between coaching positions, Gruden used racist, misogynistic and homophobic language directed at union leader DeMaurice Smith , Commissioner Roger Goodell and others in the NFL. in written exchanges with former Washington executive Bruce Allen.
The emails were collected as part of an investigation into the Washington football team after former employees made allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct at work. The multibillion-valued club has been fined $ 10 million by the NFL and owner Dan Snyder has retired from day-to-day operations for several months, but there have been no written reports of it. investigation by lawyer Beth Wilkinson.
Lawyers representing 40 former team employees on Tuesday urged the NFL to immediately release the full findings of the investigation. They called it “scandalous” that only Gruden was “held responsible” after the 10-month investigation.
Gruden, who had a 10-year, $ 100 million contract with the Raiders, resigned Monday night in the fourth season of a mostly unsuccessful tenure, going 22-31 with no playoff appearances. playoffs.
The fallout continued on Tuesday, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team he led to a Super Bowl title almost two decades ago, pulled him from the Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have advocated for many years for deliberate change in the areas of race relations, gender equality, diversity and inclusion,” the Bucs said in a one-paragraph statement. . “While we recognize Jon Gruden’s contributions on the ground, his actions run counter to our core values as an organization. “
Others in and around the sport have wondered what other ramifications, if any, might be on the horizon.
Mainly there were questions.
What did Allen write to Gruden? Allen hung up the phone when contacted by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Could other emails involving current or former coaches or front office types surface? What disciplinary action, if any, would the NFL take, after stepping back while the Gruden episode unfolded?
And, perhaps most important: how pervasive and pervasive are the attitudes and opinions expressed by Gruden in the league?
The head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a watchdog group that advocates for diversity in the NFL, said the episode was a reminder that the hiring process should lead to people with broad representation.
“There is no place for head coaches who secretly – or brazenly – share Gruden’s little spirit,” said Rod Graves, executive director of the Alliance. “We encourage in-depth due diligence and best benchmark practices at all levels when offering leadership positions. It is imperative that all applicants espouse values consistent with responsibilities.
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow and National Writer Howard Fendrich contributed.
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