The Buccaneers of Tampa Bay announced that they would reinstall the former head coach Jon Gruden in the Ring of Honor of the team, almost four years after his withdrawal.
“Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Buccaneers honor ring according to his many achievements during his seven seasons as a head coach and he remains an important figure in the history of our franchise,” the team said in a statement on Thursday. “After a more in -depth reflection, we decided to reintegrate it into the Buccaneers honor ring.”
The fall of Grace de Gruden came in October 2021 after his resignation Las Vegas raiders after the reports emerged by using a homophobic, racist and misogynistic language in emails while he worked as an ESPN analyst.
The most winning coach in the history of the franchise, Gruden compiled a record of 57-55 in seven seasons while guiding the team to three appearances in the playoffs. After being acquired by the Buccaneers in an exchange of superproductions with the raiders then in 2002, Gruden led Tampa Bay in his first Super Bowl title in his first season.
He was originally enthroned in the Ring of Honor in 2017 before having his name from the Raymond James stadium removed in 2021.
The Buccaneers explained the decision at the time saying that its actions were going “against our fundamental values as an organization”.
The criticisms had called to Gruden, who had resulted in raiders since the start of the 2018 season, to be dismissed since the Wall Street Journal reported that he had used a racially insensitive language to describe the former executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), Demaurrice Smith, in a 2011 email.
An NFL spokesperson at the time told CNN that the email reported in the Wall Street Journal had been uncovered as part of an NFL exam into the workplace in the Washington football team that took place this summer.
According to ESPN, Gruden and the Buccaneers began to repair their relationship last summer during a commemorative service for the former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who died at the age of 84.
By delivering a speech during the ceremony, Kiffin’s son, Ole Miss’s football coach, Lane Kiffin, recalled her father’s belief in forgiveness and second chances, a message that would have resonated with the Glazer family, the majority owners of the Buccaneers.
The Glazers then invited Gruden and his wife Cindy to watch the team’s home match against the 49ers of San Francisco on November 10 since the rest of their owner, by ESPN.
“I had the chance to reconnect this (past) season in a match with the Buccaneers,” Gruden told Tampa Bay Times in a statement on Thursday. “Some of my best memories of life were at Raymond James Stadium with the Bucs, and it is a great feeling and a great honor.”
After his resignation, Gruden heard The NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell alleged that they sought to destroy his career and his reputation through a malicious and orchestrated campaign.
At the time, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told CNN in a statement: “The allegations are entirely baseless and the NFL will defend itself vigorously against these claims.”
Although the source of disclosed emails is unknown, the trial claims that they were disclosed by the NFL and alleys that the League deliberately sought to injure Gruden while other details of the Washington football team were kept secret.
The trial is still underway with the last decision of the Supreme Court of Nevada in October 2024 that it recupeted the conclusions after a panel was divided 2-1 into a decision of May 14 to reject the case, according to the Associated Press.
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