Buccaneers to remove Gruden from Ring of Honor
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will remove former head coach Jon Gruden from its Ring of Honor in light of the recently revealed offensive emails he wrote years ago.
"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have advocated for purposeful change in the areas of race relations, gender equality, diversity, and inclusion for many years," the team said in a statement. "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."
Gruden, who resigned Monday from the Las Vegas Raiders, led the Buccaneers to a championship in Super Bowl XXXVII. He coached the team from 2002-08, compiling a 57-55 record.
The emails in question contain racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language. Gruden sent them while employed by ESPN as a broadcaster for Monday Night Football. The NFL uncovered the messages during its investigation into the Washington Football Team's workplace culture.
The Buccaneers added Gruden to their Ring of Honor in 2017. He owns the franchise record for career wins as a head coach.