Raiders owner seems upset at NFL amid Gruden controversy

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Raiders owner Mark Davis seems upset at NFL amid Jon Gruden controversy

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 10/13/21

Jon Gruden resigned as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders this week after numerous offensive emails that he sent were made public, and a lot of people are wondering what led to the private emails being leaked. Raiders owner Mark Davis seemingly subscribes to one of the more popular theories.

Davis was asked about the Gruden situation on Wednesday, and he did not have much to say. He did, however, throw a subtle jab at the NFL.

Just spoke with #Raiders owner Mark Davis: "I have no comment. Ask the NFL. They have all the answers." Also confirmed that Mike Mayock remains GM and now has 51 percent control of roster decisions, with interim coach Rich Bisaccia at 49 percent. Was Gruden 51/Mayock 49 before.

— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) October 13, 2021

What exactly does that mean? The NFL has not handed out any disciplinary action in relation to Gruden’s emails. There have been no suspensions and no fines. If Davis is saying the NFL has “all the answers,” that is seemingly an indication he believes the league is behind the email leaks.

The first Gruden email was leaked last Friday. In it, the former coach insulted NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith with a racist trope. The headlines happened to come on the same day Smith was facing a vote for re-election to his position. Many people believe the leak was timed to aid Smith’s re-election efforts. It’s possible that someone in the NFL wanted Smith to remain in his position.

More emails were released on Monday night. Those revealed that Gruden used homophobic slurs and insulted NFL commissioner Goodell multiple times. One theory is that Goodell was furious when he saw the emails and that someone from the league leaked them to force the Raiders to act.

Whatever the case, Davis doesn’t seem pleased with the situation. That is a strong indication that he believes the NFL railroaded Gruden, even if he was disappointed with Gruden for the content of the emails.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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