Openly gay NFL player Carl Nassib has requested a personal day after the leak of his former coach’s emails. The emails, sent between 2011 and 2018, are peppered with homophobic, sexist and racist language.
“[Nassib] requested a personal day today,” said LV Raiders general manager, Mike Mayock, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, October 13.
“He just said he’s got a lot to process. There’s a lot that’s been going on the last few days, and of course, we support that request.”
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Nassib made history in September by becoming the first openly gay NFL player to take to the field, just weeks after he came out in a video on social media. In the video, he also pledged to donate $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a donation that was then matched by the NFL.
Nassib remarked at the time that his teammates were nothing but supportive and he never worried about coming out to them, which is in stark contrast with what we are now learning about his former coach’s opinions.
Jon Gruden, former head coach of the LV Raiders, resigned from the LV Raiders on Monday, October 12, in a statement that was released by the team on Twitter.
"I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone."
Jon Gruden
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 12, 2021
“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” the Tweet read. “I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”
His resignation was accepted by Mark Davis, the owner of the Raiders, and Rich Bisaccia has stepped up from his position as the team’s special coordinator to temporarily act as head coach.
Following the controversy, EA Sports were quick to announce that they will remove Gruden as a character from their popular Madden NFL video game series, replacing him with a general likeness.
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) October 13, 2021
“EA Sports is committed to taking action in maintaining a culture of inclusion and equity,” said the developer in a statement. “Due to the circumstances of Jon Gruden’s resignation, we are taking steps to remove him from Madden NFL 22.”
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