The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ biggest personnel announcement on Thursday had nothing to do with the free agents or players at the NFL Scouting Combine. Instead, the Bucs decided to bring back one of their own.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, the Buccaneers decided to reinstate Super Bowl champion head coach Jon Gruden to their Ring of Honor.
Gruden was removed from the ring following a controversy over racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language in emails directed at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, among others. That episode forced his resignation as head coach of the Raiders in 2021.
Fast forward a few years, and the Bucs are ready to put that episode behind them.
“Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor based on his many accomplishments during his seven seasons as our head coach, and he remains a significant figure in the history of our franchise,” the team’s statement read.
“Upon further reflection, we have decided to reinstate him into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.”
Gruden’s tenure with the Bucs (2000-2008) saw the franchise win its first Super Bowl championship and maintain a winning record in the playoffs. After his stint with Tampa, Gruden’s next stop was the ESPN broadcast booth, where he had a very successful run as the color analyst on Monday Night Football.
The NFL Gridiron would come calling again for Gruden in 2018 when he signed a massive 10-year deal to return to the Raiders, where it all began for him as a head coach.
The email controversy derailed what could have been a promising return for Gruden and what also could have restored the Silver & Black to credibility. Since his exit from coaching in 2021, Gruden has served as the host of his own wildly successful YouTube channel, as an analyst with the Saints, and as a member of Barstool Sports.
Now, at least as far as Gruden’s relationship with the Buccaneers is concerned, all that is in the past.
