Menu
Franchises

All eyes on Mark Davis as Raiders look to move on from Jon Gruden

Mark Davis' selection of the next Raiders coach will be under great scrutiny following Jon Gruden's resignationGETTY IMAGES

How Raiders Owner Mark Davis decides to move the team forward following Jon Gruden's departure "will carry broad ramifications not only for the team and its relationship with the city, but for the entire NFL," according to Emmanuel Morgan of the N.Y. TIMES. Davis' late father Al Davis "made a series of influential decisions during his tenure" as Raiders owner. He hired Amy Trask, "the first female chief executive in the NFL.," in '97. He also hired Tom Flores, who is Mexican American and was the "first Latino coach in the NFL to win a Super Bowl." The team also drafted Eldridge Dickey, "the first Black quarterback taken in the first round," in '68. In June, Mark Davis was "supportive when Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib became the first openly gay NFL player on an active roster." Last year, he "initiated a partnership with UNLV to create the Al Davis-Eddie Robinson Leadership Academy, a program to develop minority candidates for head coach and general manager jobs." UNLV professor Nancy Lough, who works with Davis occasionally on the program, said any new hire "will speak volumes to the intentions the Raiders have." Like "many teams" in '21, the Raiders worked with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) to "foster conversation and develop programs about race relations within the club." RISE Chief Program Officer Andrew Mac Intosh said that he "will watch how the Raiders handle the Gruden situation" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/13).

DELAYED REACTION: FS1’s Skip Bayless said the NFL thought the original email disparing DeMaurice Smith which was released on Friday “would be enough for Mark Davis to say, ‘Okay, I got to do what I’ve got to do. Jon, you’re gone.’ But no, it didn’t move him to do that. He dragged his feet and sweated and fretted all weekend hoping it would go away" (“Undisputed,” FS1, 10/13). PFT’s Mike Florio said Davis "did not make any attempt to punish Gruden" (“PFT,” NBCSN, 10/13). NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero noted Davis “has not spoken and has not commented” on the situation “beyond a terse one sentence statement.” Pelissero: “(Davis) has been very emotional. He loves Jon Gruden. It took a lot of work to get Jon Gruden back to the Raiders as the head coach in 2018 and the last thing Mark Davis would want to do is fire the coach that he hand-picked to lead his team in Las Vegas.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said when the initial emails were released, the “common thinking” was Gruden could not continue as Raiders coach as it would “derail the team’s season." The “only one it didn’t seem to affect” was Davis, but as more emails were made public the “more he recognized, just like everybody else did initially on Friday, that he had no choice” but to part ways with Gruden (“NFL Live,” ESPN, 10/12).

ONLY OPTION: In Las Vegas, Dave Mondt writes Gruden’s resignation Monday night was "not an unfair call against the team" It was not "the result of the woke mob pressuring the owner into forcing him out," and it was not "the cabal of NFL executives conspiring to wreak havoc on what began as a promising season" for the Raiders. Mondt: "Gruden did this to himself, and even he knows that." The Raiders organization has "been one of the most inclusive, meritocratic and forward-thinking in all of sports" since Al Davis became owner. Mondt: "Gruden tarnished that legacy, is not representative of the organization’s culture, and is therefore not fit to be the face of the franchise" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 10/13).

 

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: May 31, 2024

Friday quick hits; Skipper/Levy behind Unrivaled, to launch in '25 around 3x3 concept; basketball and pickleball show big participation growth in U.S.

Kate Abdo, Ramona Shelburne and a modern day “Heidi Moment”

On this week’s pod, CBS Sports’ Kate Abdo gets us set for the UEFA Champions League final. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shares what went into executive producing her upcoming FX mini-series, "Clipped," about the Donald Sterling saga, and SBJ's Mollie Cahillane joins to tell us who's up and who's down in sports media.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2021/10/13/Franchises/Raiders.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2021/10/13/Franchises/Raiders.aspx

CLOSE