Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been out of the league since he resigned last October amidst homophobic and misogynistic emails that were released from ten years prior.
The embattled coach stepped down after it became apparent that his private conversations with other NFL brass had been leaked. Since then, the Super Bowl-winning coach reportedly has been trying to get his life back.
Gruden’s agent, Bob Lamonte, is doing his best to talk his client up in a good manner with the belief he’ll have a chance to stalk a sideline again.
During a recent interview with Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com, Lamonte elaborated a bit on Gruden’s current situation.
“I really believe in my heart and soul he will coach again,” the agent said. “I’d be very surprised if he didn’t. My question is, what did Jon really do? Most people wouldn’t want their private emails from 10 years ago looked at. That’s why … if this were to go to trial, it would be devastating for the National Football League.”
Lamonte continued:
“This wasn’t good for anybody. That’s why he ended suing the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, because everyone knows it was wrong. You have 650,000 emails and his six were picked out … and he wasn’t even in the league. He prevailed in court, and he will prevail again.”
“It was 10 years ago. And then why Jon, and why the Raiders? He wasn’t even in the league at the time of the e-mails. That’s the tragedy of it. You can say what you want, but if anyone really understands Jon, they know he’s not a racist. That’s quite obvious. No one would ever say that.
“The biggest thing that got him was Jon called Roger Goodell a female body part, that wasn’t becoming. I guess he made some bad comments about the Glazers, but you have to realize he had just been fired by the Bucs and he thought he was on private emails.”
Lamonte sounds just like an agent, making excuses for his client’s actions. Trying to protect the bag. Doing exactly what Gruden pays him handsomely to do. Yes, the emails may have been private, but why did he feel so comfortable speaking in that manner? And for him to vouch for Gruden not being a racist is a bit difficult considering the things the former head coach spewed in the e-mails.
Could Gruden’s Lawsuit Spell Doom For Goodell?
Many believe the NFL’s handling of this manner could be bad news for commissioner Roger Goodell. The six leaked e-mails thus far are the only ones that have any correlation to the ongoing Washington Commanders sexual misconduct and harassment investigation. The NFL has done all it can to keep the other over 640,000 emails private, which appears to be a major coverup. If they were released it’s highly plausible that heads could roll and not just the head of Goodell.
Could there be other prominent names attached to these troublesome emails? Sure seems that way. Why else would the NFL be doing such due diligence to keep them hidden?
Raiders Persevered In Spite Of Gruden Resignation
At the time of Gruden’s resignation, the Raiders were 3-2. Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia guided the team to a 7-5 finish the rest of the way to go 10-7. That record was good enough to clinch the final playoff spot in the AFC. The team nearly upset the Bengals in the wild card round, falling short 23-16.
Playoffs bound 😃 pic.twitter.com/wLl8PHfQcp
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 10, 2022
Following the season they replaced Bisaccia with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. It was clear that the team rallied around Bisaccia and one another after Gruden’s departure. This offseason also brought former Green Bay Packers superstar wideout Davante Adams via trade.
In an attempt to fix its image, the team also hired Sandra Douglass-Morgan as team president, making her the first woman and Black woman to hold that position in the NFL.
