Following recent articles in The Wall Street Journal and New York Times detailing the use of racist, homophobic and misogynistic terms by Jon Gruden in emails reportedly dating back to 2010, he has resigned as Las Vegas Raiders head coach, NFL Network reported.
Gruden was five games into the fourth season of a 10-year contract with the franchise, for which he previously coached in a prior stint.
The resignation of Gruden, 58, happened three days after a report from the The Wall Street Journal that detailed a 2011 email in which he used a racial trope to describe NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, who is Black, and less than two hours after the release of a New York Times article that revealed Gruden used homophobic and misogynistic terms in other emails dating back to 2010.
In these emails, Gruden allegedly used homophobic and misogynistic terms to describe NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Gruden also reportedly emailed that Goodell should not have pressured then-Rams head coach Jeff Fisher to draft Michael Sam in 2014. Sam was the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team.
"I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction," Gruden said in a statement, per ESPN.com . "Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone."
The Raiders currently have the only openly gay player in the NFL on their roster in Carl Nassib. When Nassib came out, Gruden praised the move, according to Heavy.com .
In a statement Windy City Times received, GLAAD Chief Communications Officer Rich Ferrero said, "Even as the first out gay player is competing on the Raiders and receiving widespread support from fans and teammates, accountability is necessary to ensure that all athletes can compete without discrimination and harassment. Gruden's anti-LGBTQ and misogynistic emails, which went unchecked for years, are a disturbing reminder of the work that still needs to be done to improve inclusion and acceptance in sports at all levels."
According to the team's website, Rich Bisaccia will be interim head coach, effective immediately.
The team lost to the Chicago Bears 20-9 on Oct. 10.