Fritz Pollard Alliance responds to Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s comment
The leader of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a watchdog group that champions diversity in the NFL, says Jon Gruden's 2011 remark about players' union leader DeMaurice Smith is indicative of the racism at many levels of professional sports.
LAS VEGAS — The person of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a watchdog radical that champions diverseness successful the NFL, says Jon Gruden’s 2011 remark astir players’ national person DeMaurice Smith is indicative of the racism astatine galore levels of nonrecreational sports.
Rod Graves, the Alliance’s enforcement director, besides hinted astatine seeking subject for Gruden.
A Wall Street Journal communicative noted that Gruden, past moving for ESPN and present manager of the Las Vegas Raiders, referred successful a racist mode to Smith’s facial features successful an email.
“The insensitive remarks made by Jon Gruden astir DeMaurice Smith are indicative of the racism that beryllium connected galore levels of nonrecreational sports,” Graves, the Alliance’s enforcement director, said successful a statement. “Furthermore, it reveals that the travel for African Americans and different minorities successful sports, is riddled with irrepressible mindsets astatine the highest level.
“It is our anticipation that the league and squad ownership volition code this substance with a remedy commensurate with these achy words. This is yet different inflection constituent successful a nine fraught with cynical societal blinders, absent of respect for the intelligence capableness and enactment of minorities. When volition it end?”
The league is looking into the substance and a idiosyncratic acquainted with that probe told The Associated Press that disciplinary enactment is imaginable for Gruden. The idiosyncratic spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that details of immoderate league probe are not made public.
Las Vegas hosts Chicago connected Sunday.
The Alliance promotes inclusion and advancement for minorities successful pro football, from coaches to beforehand bureau and league enforcement positions.
Gruden’s remark successful an email to then-Washington Football Team President Bruce Allen came during the 2011 lockout of the players by the NFL. Gruden told the paper helium was aggravated astir the lockout during labour negotiations and helium didn’t spot the absorption the national was taking. He besides apologized for the remark, the Journal reported.
“Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin tires,” Gruden wrote successful the email reviewed by the newspaper.
Raiders proprietor Mark Davis said Friday successful a connection that Gruden’s email does not bespeak the team’s standards.
“The contented of an email regarding DeMaurice Smith from Jon Gruden erstwhile helium worked for ESPN 10 years agone is disturbing and not what the Raiders basal for,” Davis said. “We were archetypal made alert of the email precocious yesterday by a newsman and are reviewing it on with different materials provided to america contiguous by the NFL. We are addressing the substance with Coach Gruden and volition person nary further remark astatine this time.”
During a reappraisal of emails regarding workplace misconduct astatine the Washington Football Team that was completed during the summer, “the league was informed of the beingness of emails that raised issues beyond the scope of that investigation,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said Friday. He added that “the email from Jon Gruden denigrating DeMaurice Smith is appalling, abhorrent and wholly contrary to the NFL’s values. We condemn the connection and regret immoderate harm that its work whitethorn inflict connected Mr. Smith oregon anyone else.”
Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner contributed to this report.
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