There’s a surprising figure working with coaches at the Kansas City Chiefs training camp.
Jon Gruden.
Reporters at the Chiefs facility shared video Sunday of the former NFL head coach and ex-Monday Night Football analyst. Gruden sported Chiefs attire as he talked with coaches.
He’s covered in Chiefs gear, but that is former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden at #Chiefs practice today.. pic.twitter.com/0cI7MO7GU4
— PJ Green (@ByPJGreen) August 4, 2024
Gruden’s appearance is surprising for a couple of reasons, aside from the strangeness of seeing the ex-Raiders coach wearing bitter rival Chiefs gear. Gruden, of course, has been persona non grata in NFL circles since he resigned as Raiders head coach during the 2021 season. That move came after racist, sexist and homophobic emails he shared years earlier were revealed.
Gruden worked as an analyst for MNF from 2009 through 2017 before returning to coaching with the Raiders.
No word on Gruden’s role with the Chiefs, whether it was a one-day visit or if there’s something else planned. He and head coach Andy Reid first met in the early 1990s when both worked for the Green Bay Packers.
It’s also unusual to see Gruden anywhere near an NFL team given his pending litigation against the league. Gruden sued the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this year, claiming they were behind the email leaks. The league and Goodell have denied those allegations.
A Nevada court recently rejected Gruden’s bid to have the case resolved in court rather than arbitration.
Yet Gruden’s eventual return to the sidelines seems inevitable. Rumors surfaced earlier this year that the New Orleans Saints were considering adding Gruden to their coaching staff, although that speculation was quickly rejected.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.