Jaguars Owner Shad Khan: Jon Gruden Resigning Was 'The Right Choice'
Shockwaves were sent through the NFL on Monday evening when Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden officially resigned from his role following the release of emails sent by Gruden in the past which contained racist and homophobic language. And on Tuesday, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan became one of the first NFL owners to comment on the situation.
"I think it was definitely the right choice for the coach to resign," Khan said during the CAA World Congress of Sports on Monday, according to The Athletic's Daniel Kaplan.
Khan joins Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry as two of the only owners to speak at the World Congress of Sports, while Jaguars' Chief Football Strategy Officer Tony Khan is also on the event's list of speakers.
Khan is one of few owners who has put out any public comment on Gruden's decision to resign following the release of his emails over the last several days. And so far, Khan appears to be the only one who has spoken so far who has taken a stance on whether Gruden should have lost or given up his job as the Raiders' head coach.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had little to say on Gruden's resignation on Tuesday during his regular appearance on the Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan when asked about Gruden.
“I don’t have anything I would want to express one way or the other,” Jones said when asked for his opinion on Gruden's resignation. “From the standpoint of contribution, I know we all are accountable to even a, if you will, fleeting or minor part of our actions. We all are accountable to those. But that’s about all I want to comment on that. We’re talking about people here and even the ones that some of the comments are directed about. Those have been outstanding people in the NFL.”
The New York Times published a detailed report Monday that uncovered multiple emails authored by Gruden that contained misogynistic, racist and anti-gay language from a period between 2011 and early 2018. A Wall Street Journal report was released last week in which Gruden used a racist trope to describe executive director of the NFL Players Association DeMaurice Smith.
"I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction," Gruden said in a statement. "Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”
The first Gruden email released, which was sent while he was employed by ESPN before the Raiders hired him to a reported 10-year, $100 million contract, was released last Friday and began the end of Gruden's controversial tenure with the Raiders. Gruden sent the emails to then-Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen, with the emails being discovered as the result of a separate workplace misconduct investigation into the Football Team by the league offices.
"The content of an email regarding DeMaurice Smith from Jon Gruden when he worked for ESPN 10 years ago is disturbing and not what the Raiders stand for," the Raiders said in a statement following the first email.
"We were first made aware of the email late yesterday by a reporter and are reviewing it along with other materials provided to us today by the NFL. We are addressing the matter with Coach Gruden and will have no further comment at this time."
