Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder survived the investigation into the team’s toxic workplace. However, Jon Gruden didn’t. Gruden resigned Monday evening as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Gruden’s resignation comes three days after a Wall Street Journal report revealed emails from Gruden making racially-insensitive comments towards NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.
On Monday, The New York Times published an article revealing more troubling emails from Gruden. The emails were sent to then-Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen.
They included homophobic and misogynistic comments from Gruden.
According to the article, Gruden “denounced the emergence of women as referees, the drafting of a gay player and the tolerance of players protesting during the playing of the national anthem.”
Gruden called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell multiple homophobic slurs. He also was upset at Goodell pressuring then-St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher into drafting “queers.”
That was in reference to Michael Sam. Sam came out as openly gay ahead of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Rams selected him in the seventh round.
Additionally, the email exchanges between Gruden, Allen and other men included photos of women wearing only bikini bottoms. One photo was of two Washington Football Team cheerleaders.
Snyder and the Washington Football Team were under investigation for toxic workplace culture. The investigation headed by Beth Wilkinson was started in July 2020. More than a dozen of female employees accused team executives of sexual harassment and misconduct.
Additionally, a group of former team cheerleaders hired legal representation into sexual misconduct by team officials. Their complaints included the women being secretly recorded nude during multiple calendar photo shoots.
Washington settled with the cheerleaders earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the team was fined $10 million as a result of Wilkinson’s investigation. Snyder wasn’t suspended or removed officially from ownership. However, his wife, Tanya Snyder assumed day-to-day operations of the organization.
Dan Snyder is focusing a new stadium for the team and “other matters.”
Only the leaked emails of Gruden have been made public from Wilkinson’s report.
Gruden worked with Allen as head coach of the Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Allen hired Gruden’s younger brother Jay as the head coach of Washington from 2014-2019.
Jay Gruden was fired five games into the 2019 season. Allen was fired that year as well by Snyder.
