Jon Gruden certainly has an uphill battle to ever work in the NFL again, but for some, the renowned figure has coached his last game.
Former NFL wide receiver and current TV host Nate Burleson is among those who believe there is no coming back for Gruden after emails showed him using racist, homophobic and misogynistic language from 2011-2018.
“The league is 75% Black and some of those words can be interpreted as racist, insensitive,” Burleson told TMZ Sports. “And, Carl Nassib is an openly gay playe.r And, the words that [Gruden] used when talking about Michael Sam, it really does hurt the heart to hear.”
Nassib, who was coached by Gruden before he was forced to resign from the Raiders, has not spoken publicly about the homophobic language he used in emails sent to Washington Football Team former president Bruce Allen.
The defensive end became the first active NFL player to come out in June and received support from Gruden. He took a personal day last week amid all the fallout.
“This is an inclusive league,” Burleson added. “And, I think that’s what we pride ourselves on. I’m not sure if we’ll see him back in the league. I’m not sure.”
Gruden has apologized through a statement but when contacted by an HBO producer earlier this week, he said the “truth will come out.”
“There’s some truth of his in those emails,” Burleson said. “Which is why it was so disheartening.”
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