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The Kansas City Chiefs AFC West rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, have been part of national headlines in Week 5 due to their head coach, Jon Gruden. Gruden has sparked controversy due to an email he sent in 2011 as a member of ESPN that included racist remarks towards NFLPA executive DeMaurice Smith, per The Wall Street Journal.
It turns out the Raiders head coach has also made it known that he had also taken shots at others associated with the NFL. Gruden criticized a few team owners and used vulgar criticism towards NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in emails as well, he told ESPN’s Chris Mortenson and Paul Gutierrez.
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Gruden: I Was in Bad Frame of Mind
Here’s what Gruden told Mortenson and Gutierrez regarding other comments made in emails, and Gruden’s frame of mind that year, which was the same year as the NFL lockout.
“I was in a bad frame of mind at the time [in 2011], and I called Roger Goodell a [expletive] in one of these emails too,” the Raiders coach told ESPN on Friday night. “They were keeping players and coaches from doing what they love with a lockout. There also were a lot of things being reported publicly about the safety of the sport that I love. I was on a mission with high school football [in the Tampa, Florida, area] during that time, and there were a lot of parents who were scared about letting their kids play football. It just didn’t sit well with me.”
Gruden’s remarks in the emails sparked a wide range of reactions within Las Vegas’ locker room, per ESPN’s report.
“Reactions to Gruden’s emailed comments have been wide-ranging both within the Raiders’ locker room and around the league, according to sources,” Mortenson wrote. “Some people believe there should be repercussions for Gruden, while others believe he should be forgiven, including one Black player who gave him a hug and asked how he could help, according to sources.”
Impact on Chiefs
We are covering this at Heavy on Chiefs because Gruden coaches the Raiders, who are in the same division as Kansas City.
Gruden’s comments have caused a stir within the organization, with some kind of discipline possibly coming his way for the remarks made in the emails, albeit a decade ago. If he were to be punished — or even if it didn’t — the mixed reactions in the locker room could cause a divide, which could result in the now 3-2 Raiders team that just lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, October 10 to tumble quickly out of the No. 2 seed in the division that they had headed into Week 5. Their grapple on that spot was already loose; the Denver Broncos (3-2) and Chiefs (2-2) were only one game back from Las Vegas in the standings prior to Week 5. A win for Kansas City on Sunday Night Football could have the Raiders in last place in the AFC West heading into Week 6.
The Chiefs have their first game against the Raiders this season in Week 10 at Las Vegas. At that point in time, the Raiders could be spiraling out of control due to the distractions taking place due to their head coach.
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