Jon Gruden, the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, has resigned as a result of email claims

After being accused of sending inappropriate emails, Jon Gruden has resigned as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Numerous emails containing racist, homophobic, or misogynistic language were discovered, according to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Gruden was working as a commentator at the time before signing a 10-year, $100 million deal with the Raiders in 2018. In a statement confirming his resignation, the 58-year-old added, “I’m sorry. I never meant to offend anyone. I’m a Raiders fan and don’t want to be a nuisance. “

From 1998 through 2001, Gruden was the head coach of the Raiders, who were then based in Oakland. After being sacked in early 2009, he landed a position with ESPN after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl victory the following season.

“The comments are clearly repugnant under any circumstance,” ESPN said in a statement.

The New York Times reported on Monday that the NFL had highlighted numerous emails written by Gruden in which he allegedly used derogatory language while voicing opposition to women serving as NFL referees, the league having gay players, and pre-game national anthem protests.

When writing about Michael Sam, the first openly homosexual athlete picked by an NFL team in 2014, Gruden was accused of using an anti-gay slur to describe NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, as well as another anti-gay slur.

The Raiders now have defensive end Carl Nassib, who is the only openly gay player in the NFL.

Gruden used racial language in a 2011 email when characterising the look of DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Raiders have named assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia as temporary head coach. Gruden is the first NFL coach to resign during the 2021 season.