Jon Gruden slams NFL’s hypocrisy with racial issues after lawsuit update

Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden criticizes the NFL’s response to his lawsuit in light of the recent Brian Flores lawsuit.

The NFL has dealt with its share of scandals in recent years, a great deal of it stemming from the Washington Commanders organization.

While the Commanders have moved on with a rebrand, Jon Gruden became collateral damage in the NFL’s investigation into former Washington executive Bruce Allen’s emails. Gruden lost his job due to language he used in his emails, but he’s been adamant that his fight with the NFL isn’t over yet. Gruden soon filed a lawsuit against the league, which the NFL has now moved to arbitration. Gruden took the time to point out the hypocrisy in the league in light of another lawsuit filed against them: this time, by Brian Flores.

“(These statements) appear quite foolish now after the torrent of revelations against the NFL and (commissioner Roger) Goodell that have recently come to light,” said Gruden.

Gruden continues that the NFL’s characterization of his emails as racist and conduct detrimental to the NFL as “hyperbolic.”

“Defendants’ comment was hyperbolic at the time but now seems even more poorly considered in light of the claims by Brian Flores, made after the filing of the Motion, that the NFL engaged in a pattern of racist hiring practices.”

The NFL, which condemned Gruden for racist, sexist and homophobic language in private emails, is now facing a discrimination lawsuit filed by Brian Flores accusing the league of discriminatory hiring practices in regards to Black coaches.

Jon Gruden slams NFL for hypocrisy on race in light of Brian Flores lawsuit

Gruden’s legal team contends that the NFL is not truly concerned with issues of social justice, but is more concerned with maintaining its appearance. When the NFL first became aware of Gruden’s emails in July 2021, no action was taken by the league.

“If Defendants truly had an interest in ‘rooting racism, sexism, and homophobia out of professional football,’ and these are not merely hollow statements, then why did Defendants not initiate disciplinary proceedings in June 2021.”

The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan makes a fascinating observation on the irony of Gruden invoking Flores: Gruden’s hiring signaled a moment demonstrating that the league no longer had to take the Rooney Rule seriously.

“There is some irony in Gruden relying on Flores, as one of his core arguments is Rooney Rule interviews are often shams. In 2018, Raiders owner Mark Davis had already announced his intention to hire Gruden before interviewing a Black candidate. The NFL looked into the process and determined the Raiders complied with the Rooney Rule.

It was that development in fact that arguably led to the decline in Black head coaches when owners saw there was no punishment for treating Rooney as an obstacle and not an opportunity. Now Gruden is pointing to Flores’ lawsuit to argue the NFL is disingenuous when it comes to racial matters.”

If the NFL is able to move the Gruden case to arbitration, it’s likely that Gruden’s accusation that the league unfairly terminated him and leaked his emails to media will be solved out of court without as much public scandal—which is what Gruden believes is all the league cares about.