Jon Gruden publicly defended himself for the first time on Tuesday, telling a pack of college football supporters in Arkansas during a question-and-answer session that the content of the leaked emails that got him fired—the ones that were racist, anti-LGBTQ and mysoginistic in nature—was “shameful.”
He added that he was “ashamed about what has come about in those emails,” before pivoting to an abridged version of what will likely become his campaign speech for a third life in professional football. He mentioned that he has a marriage still intact after three decades and that he’s a churchgoer. He said he raised three good boys, and pointed out that no one else in the room can claim they’ve never made mistakes in their life.
This is, ultimately, why Gruden believes he deserves another shot at being a head coach. He said he hopes he is forgiven.
