Gruden resigned on Monday after reports surfaced that he used homophobic, racist and foul language in emails while working as an ESPN analyst.
Russell, who came out as bisexual in 2019 and who played for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, told CNN’s New Day that he was heartbroken when he heard about the email saying that the resignation was the bare minimum. Which the league should accept.
“I don’t think that’s enough, I think it’s responsive to the investigation of what’s going on,” Russell said on Tuesday.
“I think the next step that the league needs to take is to be proactive in making sure that the coaches they hire, the players they draft, the organizations they create, are inclusive, supportive are happening and are not up to that standard when things come to the fore but all the time.
“It’s accountability, doing the right thing when no one is watching. The integrity level is what’s being challenged here.”
Critics called out Gruden, who has coached the Raiders since the start of the 2018 season, after The Wall Street Journal reported that he used a 2011 email to describe NFL Players Association executive director Demoris Smith as a racial slur. Insensitive language was used.
On Monday, the New York Times reported that it reviewed more emails and found that Gruden employed women as on-field officers, for a team drafting an openly gay player and for national anthem protesters. condemned tolerance.
The Times said the emails were sent to Bruce Allen, the former president of the Washington football team, over a period of seven years, leading many to question why he was allowed to remain in his role for so long. Allen was fired by the organization in December 2019.
On Friday, an NFL spokesperson said the email, reported in the Wall Street Journal, surfaced as part of an NFL review of workplace misconduct at the Washington football team that occurred this summer.
CNN has again reached out to Gruden, the NFL and the Raiders for comment.
‘This is not acceptable’
“Jon Gruden wasn’t sending those emails to himself, there were other people who knew about it,” Russell said.
“There were others who were involved in the league and it went unchecked for years, so no, resigning is not accountability, it is not enough – it is something reactive.”
The Raiders released a statement in which Gruden announced his resignation, saying: “I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”
The statement has been criticized for not addressing all of the topics Gruden covered in the email.
“To say that he didn’t mean to hurt anybody is not acceptable,” Russell said.
“You know, in this day and age, what those words mean, what it says to your character, what it says to your organization and what it will do to your legacy.
“You hurt people, you literally hurt everyone, and there’s no statement you can make out that will hold that back.”
‘Uncover the real ideas of John Gruden’
“John Gruden, after sending that homophobic email, letting the players know exactly what he thought, how he would stand in the middle of the room and lead this group of men with many of the guys in that locker room, it Knowing that personally, he mocks them or is against them?” Rapoport said.
“It didn’t work out. This partly explains why John Gruden resigned to owner Mark Davis and then to his employees last night.”
Rapoport says thousands of emails from the investigation have yet to be made public and it’s not sure who else might have been caught in a similar situation.
“The report has not been made public. Most of these emails have not been made public,” he said.
“Are they going to be or are we going to find out the secret content of the emails of leaders who follow this pattern?”
Seeing the work the league has done to be more inclusive in recent years, Rapoport says, with many in the community feeling relieved, Gruden has decided to resign from his role.
“This is a man who was a thing in public – he seemed to be the kind of spirited, devious leader – these emails clearly highlight the real views of John Gruden,” he said.
“I think a lot of people wondering – players, officials of color, many I spoke to last night, coaches of color, or just humans – were just wondering if this person is going to get what he deserves. Huh.
“Is there going to be accountability? Are you allowed to do just that?
“I think when John Gurden resigned, many of the people I spoke to just said, ‘Okay, that’s what it should be.'”
CNN’s Steve Almasi contributed reporting.
.