Jon Gruden Speaks Publicly on Email Scandal For First Time

Former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden asked for forgiveness for the emails that led to his resignation.

It's been almost a year since former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden stepped down from his role with the organization.

His departure came after emails that Gruden had sent containing racist, misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic language were publicized by the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times last October.

Gruden spoke to the public for the first time since his resignation from the NFL when he took the stage at the Little Rock Touchdown Club in Arizona on Tuesday.

"I'm ashamed of what has come about in these emails," Gruden said. "And I'll make no excuses for it. It's shameful. But, I am a good person. I believe that. I go to church. I've been married for 31 years. I got three great boys. I still love football. I've made some mistakes, but I don't think anybody in here hasn't. And I just ask for forgiveness and hopefully I get another shot."

Gruden became emotional while speaking to the audience.

"I get choked up because there's a lot of misunderstanding out there right now," Gruden said. "What you read, what you hear, what you watch on TV. Hell, I worked at ESPN for nine years. I worked hard at that job. I don't even want to watch the channel anymore because I don't believe everything is true. And I know a lot of it is just trying to get people to watch. But I think we've got to get back to reality."

Gruden is in the middle of a lawsuit against the NFL in which he and his team of attorneys are arguing that the former NFL coach had been targeted in the process of the email findings.

Gruden coached the Raiders for two different stints, 1998 to 2001 and 2018 to 2021.

The Raiders revealed the following message from Gruden on the night of his resignation:

"I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone."

In total, Gruden was a head coach in the NFL for 14-plus seasons, having won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002-03 season.

He served as offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995 to 1997.

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