Former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden on Tuesday said he was “ashamed” over the email controversy that cost him his job and reputation.
During an appearance at the Little Rock Touchdown Club in Little Rock, Ark., Gruden, who had remained out of the public eye for months, told those in attendance that he felt deep regret for his role in the controversy.
“I’m not going to say anything but honest things here,” Gruden said. “I’m ashamed about what has come about in these emails. 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’ve got three great boys. I still love football. I’ve made some mistakes, but I don’t think anybody in here hasn’t,” Gruden, who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, added. “And I just ask for forgiveness, and hopefully I get another shot.”
Gruden also called out the media, especially his former employer ESPN, during his address, telling the audience that they shouldn’t believe anything the media says.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding out there right now,” the 59-year-old coach 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 wanna 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.”
Gruden, who spent 15 years as a head coach in the league, resigned from his position with the Raiders last October after news outlets reported on his emails, which contained racist, homophobic and misogynistic language.
The leaked email chain, which spans from 2011 to 2018, occurred when Gruden was employed by ESPN as a lead broadcaster for their Monday Night Football telecasts.
The email chain leak led the House Oversight and Reform Committee to launch an investigation into the Washington Commanders organization and its owner Dan Snyder last October.
Gruden filed a lawsuit against the NFL last November, alleging that the league deliberately leaked his emails to media outlets in an effort to force him out of his job.
A Nevada judge recently denied the league’s motion to dismiss Gruden’s lawsuit against them, according to NFL.com.
The NFL declined to comment. The Hill has also reached out to ESPN.