Jon Gruden 'ashamed' of email controversy, hopes to 'get another shot'

Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden publicly addressed the controversy that cost him his job last October for the first time Tuesday.

"I'm ashamed about what has come about in these emails, and I'll make no excuses for it," Gruden said, according to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. "It's shameful. But I am a good person. I believe that. I go to church. I've been married for 31 years. I've got three great boys. I still love football. I've made some mistakes, but I don't think anybody in here hasn't. And I just ask for forgiveness, and hopefully, I get another shot."

Gruden resigned as coach of the Raiders on Oct. 11 after the NFL found emails he sent containing racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language. He sent the emails while working for ESPN as a football analyst from 2009-17. The league discovered the messages during its investigation into the Washington Commanders' workplace culture.

The 59-year-old has since sued the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell for allegedly leaking his emails with the intention to destroy his career.

"I get choked up, you know, because there's a lot of misunderstanding out there right now - what you read, what you hear, what you watch on TV," said Gruden.

"Hell, I worked at ESPN for nine years. I worked hard at that job. I don't even want to watch the channel anymore because I don't believe everything is true. And I know a lot of it is just trying to get people to watch. But I think we've got to get back to reality."

Gruden posted a 60-57 record across two stints with the Raiders (1998 to 2001, 2018-21). His second stint was on a reported 10-year, $100-million contract. He also coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002-08, helping them win Super Bowl XXXVII.