Raiders, Gruden reach settlement after his departure over emails

The Las Vegas Raiders and former head coach Jon Gruden have reached a settlement amid his departure over surfaced emails. 

The Athletic’s Raiders beat reporter Vic Tafur reported Wednesday that both sides have reached a settlement on Gruden’s contract. 

Raiders owner Mark Davis confirmed the news to reporters during the end of league owners’ fall meeting, their first in-person meeting since 2019. 

Gruden reportedly had $40 million left in guaranteed payments under his 10-year, $100 million contract he signed with the football club in 2018, according to NBC Sports. 

The release of claims that the former coach signed in order to get his money likely extends to cover the league, which means this will prevent Guden from filing a lawsuit against the NFL for intentional interference with his relationship with his former team, NBC Sports reported. 

When asked about how Gruden was doing in the aftermath of the controversy, Davis replied he hopes Gruden can understand the “ramifications” of what he said. 

“He’s hurt, he’s really hurt, and I understand that,” Davis said. “But he understands the ramifications of what he said. I love Jon and I love his family. We all have demons in our lives, and you have to understand that, and you also have to look at redemption as well.” 

Gruden resigned from his post as Raiders head coach earlier this month after emails from the NFL’s initial investigation of the Washington Football Team, which contained racist, homophobic and misogynistic language, resurfaced to the public. 

The leaked email chain, which spans from 2011 to 2018, involved then-WFT president Bruce Allen and Gruden, who was employed by ESPN as a lead broadcaster for Monday Night Football. 

Davis also said that he believes the league should release its full report on the WFT’s workplace misconduct investigation, a day after commissioner Roger Goodell said the league doesn’t have plans to do so.

“Probably. Yeah, I think that there should be, yeah,” Davis said. “Especially with some of the things that were, I guess, charged. I believe so. I think that people deserve [it], especially the people that were ‘victims.”