TAMPA (WFLA) – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be removing Jon Gruden’s name from the team’s ring of honor following misogynistic and homophobic language directed at Commissioner Roger Goodell and others in the NFL, according to emails reviewed by The New York Times.
The team released a statement Tuesday evening on the announcement.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have advocated for purposeful change in the areas of race relations, gender equality, diversity and inclusion for many years. While we acknowledge Jon Gruden’s contributions on the field, his actions go against our core values as an organization. Therefore, he will no longer continue to be a member of the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.”
The NFL obtained the emails that Gruden sent to Bruce Allen, the former president of the Washington Football Team, in a separate investigation of workplace misconduct regarding that franchise.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Gruden used a racist comment to describe NFL Players Association leader DeMaurice Smith. Now, the latest emails reported by the Times showed Gruden denounced the drafting of a gay player and the tolerance of players protesting during the playing of the national anthem among other issues.
A league source confirms the accuracy of the emails and said they have been sent to the Raiders. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league hasn’t made the emails public. The person said the league is awaiting for the team to review the emails and decide how to proceed.
Following Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears Gruden apologized for his “insensitive remarks” and said that he was not a racist.