TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced former coach Jon Gruden will be removed from the team’s Ring of Honor after a series of offensive emails surfaced from when he was an analyst with ESPN.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have advocated for purposeful change in the areas of race relations, gender equality, diversity and inclusion for many years. While we acknowledge Jon Gruden’s contributions on the field, his actions go against our core values as an organization. Therefore, he will no longer continue to be a member of the Buccaneers Ring of Honor,” the team said in a statement.
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Gruden was the coach of the Bucs when Tampa Bay defeated the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl 37.
The Associated Press reports emails Gruden sent before he was the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders contained racist, homophobic and misogynist comments.
Gruden stepped down as the Raiders head coach on Monday.
“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,” Gruden said.
The team accepted Gruden’s resignation.
“Rich Bisaccia will serve as Interim Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, effective immediately,” the team said in a statement.