Jon Gruden is out – but his son is sticking around.
After the former Raiders head coach resigned from his position in wake of a bombshell New York Times report that uncovered a trove of racist, misogynistic and otherwise derogatory emails, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Gruden’s son, Deuce, will remain in his role as Las Vegas’ assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Jon Gruden II, nicknamed Deuce, is 27 years old and has worked in the NFL since 2016, when he was a strength and conditioning intern for Washington (under Jay Gruden, Jon’s brother and Deuce’s uncle). He joined his father in Oakland when Jon signed his 10-year, $100 million contract in 2018.
With his father resigning in disgrace, it appears Deuce will continue in his current role under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, formerly the special teams coach for the Raiders.
The Times investigation revealed Gruden used a wide range of offensive language in emails that stretched over years. He criticized female officials, racial justice initiatives and repeatedly used slurs when referring to Roger Goodell and Michael Sam, the NFL’s first openly gay player. He also shared topless photos of Washington cheerleaders with the team’s then-GM, Bruce Allen.
An email of him saying NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith “had lips the size of michellin (sic) tires” first leaked on Friday, with Gruden stating publicly that he “didn’t have an ounce of racism” in his body. Per the Times report, both Gruden and the Raiders knew of the windfall of emails at that point. The Raiders still allowed him to coach on Sunday, a 20-9 loss to the Bears.