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Las Vegas – Last night in a less than heartfelt message, former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden resigned after emails he had written over a 10-year period surfaced.

“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.”

The apology doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the damage the former coach has caused.

Emails reveal years of racist, homophobic messages

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the NFL had discovered emails in a separate investigation that Gruden had sent to Bruce Allen, the former president of the Washington Football Team, in which Gruden commented about NFL Players Association’s Executive Director DeMaurice Smith. In the email Gruden said that Smith had “lips the size of Michellin tires”.


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“I’m ashamed I insulted De Smith. I never had a racial thought when I used it,” Gruden told ESPN. “I’m embarrassed by what’s out there. I certainly never meant for it to sound that bad.”

That was only the beginning of offensive emails that would come to light in the following days.

The New York Times reported that Gruden used misogynistic and anti-gay language in numerous emails during a seven-year period ending in 2018.

Gruden emailed Allen that Goodell should not have pressured then-St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher to draft “queers,” referring to former defensive end Michael Sam, a gay player drafted in 2014, according to The Times. The Times also reported that Gruden used an anti-gay slur in several instances while referring to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and used offensive language to describe some owners, coaches and media members who cover the league.

On Monday night Las Vegas Raiders owner, Mark Davis, met with Gruden at the Raiders facility. After the two met for a brief period it was agreed upon that Gruden would resign. Davis released a short statement saying that he would accept Gruden’s resignation.

Gruden was in the third year of a 10-year/$100 million contract. The terms of his buyout have not been made public.

Mike Creef is a fighter for equality and justice for all. Growing up bi-racial (Jamaican-American) on the east coast allowed him to experience many different cultures and beliefs that helped give him a...