On Monday, Oct. 11, the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach Jon Gruden announced his resignation from the team.

During a probe through the Washington Football Team’s emails for a legal inquiry, investigators found numerous racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments sent within the organization, most notably from Gruden and the team’s general manager, Bruce Allen. 

Although Gruden was an analyst at ESPN at the time, he and Allen worked together for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002 to 2008.

The first wave of messages emerged on Oct. 8, headlined by his comments about current Executive Director of the NFLPA, DeMaurice Smith. A particular assertion from Gruden to Allen in 2011 stated that Smith “has lips the size of Michelin tires,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Raiders’ owner Mark Davis called his coach’s comments “disturbing,” yet Gruden still coached in a losing effort to the Chicago Bears that Sunday.

The following day, more emails came out where Gruden was caught using homophobic slurs towards NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. There were also numerous pictures of women in bikinis exchanged between Gruden and Allen, including women from the Washington cheerleading squad.

More than 650,000 emails were uncovered in an unrelated investigation into claims of bullying and sexual harassment, according to the New York Times. The pattern of derogatory comments between Gruden and Allen lasted from 2011 to 2018.

Though this situation took place within a sports league, there is virtually no difference between the front office of an NFL team and the inner workings of a major company or organization.

Despite all of its problems, social media has aided immensely in exposing people like Gruden by spreading information to large audiences. However, Gruden’s sentiments are likely held within many popular corporations.

Not only did Gruden secretly demean minorities for nearly a decade through his emails (and probably even longer in private conversation), but he was also defended by the Raiders organization.

Davis made a weak statement when the first emails surfaced, and even once the second wave came out, the organization did not take action to fire him. Gruden stepped down from his position because what he said became public, meaning he likely would have finished the rest of his 10-year, $100 million contract with those same beliefs.

Gruden even had some supporters within the media. Prominent right-wing journalist Jason Whitlock had plenty to say on Twitter about the situation:

“[Gruden] said something in a private email that was intended for one person to read/know. Anybody insulted is someone who spends their life looking to be insulted.”

Whitlock, however, did not comment on the emails concerning Gruden’s homophobic and misogynist statements.

Considering the NFL’s lackadaisical response and support for Gruden in certain media, this situation does beg the question: as students about to enter the workforce, how do we cope with knowing that employers or co-workers may have concealed prejudices? 

Even if those people get in trouble, how would students feel when they are never truly brought to justice, as Gruden likely would have kept his job if the racist comments were all that surfaced. Finally, what about the governing body that fostered that kind of thinking in the first place (i.e., the Raiders ownership)?

Graduating Hampton senior Tamaria Moore had much to say in response to those questions. A liberal studies major with a concentration in gerontology, Moore aspires to be a geriatric counselor, helping adults as they enter their later years.

“As a black woman,” Moore wrote, “I have left my home, entering an unfamiliar world with the expectation that there will be people like that in the work force. I knew this heading out of high school, partially influencing my decision to attend an HBCU…

"[Attending an HBCU] may seem like a fantasy but it’s my way of living in a place where I am accepted because I know the reality of being a black woman in America… Not to say that I want to experience prejudice but as a black person, coping with that is innate; prejudice is a part of our everyday experience.”

Thankfully, Gruden lost his position as one of the most prominent coaches in American sports. In his place, the Raiders designated special teams coach Rich Bisaccia as the interim head coach, according to the New York Times. Bisaccia, however, worked under Gruden during Tampa’s 2002 Super Bowl season. This is not to say that Bisaccia carries the same sentiments, but it seems the Raiders would like to keep Gruden’s ideology within the organization.