Dan Snyder and Jon Gruden are both at the center of controversy after an ESPN article and Stephen A. Smith went headfirst into the problem with Gruden’s email leaks. Gruden was forced into resignation by the NFL, terminating the 10-year, $100 million contract he signed, after a story leaked about racist emails he sent. The Wall Street Journal published a story in 2021 that included an email that Jon Gruden sent 10 years ago as a color analyst for ESPN. The email contained racist and offensive remarks against NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, describing him as “Dumboriss” and a racist slur as per the WSJ and ESPN articles.
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The story gets even more controversial as reports have come out to claim that it was former Washington Commanders Owner Dan Snyder who leaked the emails. Why? Well, reportedly, Snyder wanted to get in Roger Goodell’s good books after an investigation was launched into Washington’s team about a toxic workplace environment, according to ESPN. Snyder was fined $10 million and forced to temporarily step away from the team. According to ESPN, Snyder had hoped that leaking the emails would shift focus away from him and onto Jon Gruden, and earn Goodell’s trust back to let him back into the organization. However, it didn’t work that way as he is now selling the club.
As per ESPN’s story, “Sources said Snyder, who was serving a punishment after a league investigation had exposed a toxic workplace culture at the team, hoped the emails would deflect blame for workplace issues to Allen while currying favor with Goodell by giving the commissioner a chance to eliminate Gruden, a longtime antagonist.” Snyder was essentially forced into finding a new owner for the Commanders, a $6.05 billion sale that is being complicated due to these claims.
Stephen A. Smith Reveals How Complex the Dan Snyder, Jon Gruden Case Is
There are several important details to know about the case before we can even detail what Stephen A. Smith had to say. ESPN’s article did a great job revealing the insider scoop.
After the emails were leaked, the first thought was “who leaked them?” Was it the NFL and Roger Goodell, all set to destroy Jon Gruden’s career?
If that were the case, then the NFL’s credibility would be destroyed. How could they have sat on emails for over a decade, and chosen to release them, leading to Gruden’s demise?
Gruden certainly felt so, and it’s why he’s suing the NFL for a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” against him to destroy his career and reputation, as per The New York Times.
Gruden’s battle with the NFL is making steady progress, and the case has made it all the way to Nevada Supreme Court. Stephen A. Smith recently came out to explain how if the emails were in fact leaked by Snyder, to take the spotlight off him, then the NFL and Roger Goodell are fine.
However, if Gruden can prove that someone else leaked those emails, then the whole case gets blown open, and not in a good way for the NFL. Stephen A. Smith claims that Gruden would then definitely be owed some money, making back some of the $100 million contract he never saw play out.
The entire story can be found here, from ESPN, and it details the many sides of the entire case, including more about Snyder and Gruden.
Gruden Felt Like NFL Put a Target on His Back Since “Tuck Rule”
Gruden has been around in the NFL for a long time, and he feels like the NFL has had somewhat of an agenda against him. Those feelings were evoked by former Raiders owner Al Davis.
The ESPN article reports that things have always been bad since the Tuck Rule game. Gruden made comments about poor officiating in the league when he was a commentator which earned him a meeting with the league office, and the Raiders were fined massively and stripped of draft picks for COVID-19 violations.
The story between Gruden and the NFL won’t close for some time, and more information will keep coming in to refute or prove some of the claims made.
