We haven’t heard much from Jon Gruden since he abruptly resigned as Raiders head coach 10 days ago. HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel has heard a little more.
Andrea Kremer, who recently profiled Raiders owner Mark Davis for the show, explains on the latest episode of the Real Sports Podcast that a producer recently cold-called Gruden.
“Maggie Burbank, who produced the story that we just did on Mark Davis, she actually called Gruden and he picked up the phone, much to I think her surprise,” Kremer said. “And he’s still in Las Vegas. . . . He says he’s letting the dust settle. He said, ‘People who know me know what I stand for for 58 years. I have a resume of 58 years.’ He said, ‘The truth will come out.’ It’s certainly cryptic.”
It remains to be seen where and how the truth will come out. As Myles Simmons and I discussed on Wednesday’s #PFTPM, litigation would be one vehicle for the truth coming out. And not litigation between Gruden and the Raiders, but litigation between Gruden and the NFL, for a legal theory such as tortious interference with business relationships.
In theory, the Raiders could join Gruden in that fight.
“Mark Davis has been severely impacted,” Kremer said. “And I’m not defending Mark Davis. I’m just pointing out a fact here. Dan Snyder continues on. The Washington Football Team continues on.”
Someone decided to pull the pin on the Gruden grenade during football season, leaking documents and forcing action in early October. It could have happened before the season. It could have happened after the season. In either of those cases, the Raiders would have been in a much better position.