Keyshawn Johnson had plenty to get say about his former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden in wake of his resignation after a number of emails leaked in which he used misogynistic and homophobic language.
Johnson discusses the fact that Gruden went beyond making a racist comment about NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. He also made inexcusable remarks about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and team owners.
“My concentration ain’t only you talk bad about a Black man, you also talking bad about people that own teams, run the league, the commissioner of the league because he’s a bad person,” Johnson said. “I tried to tell people this when I played for this man, but I was in the wrong. ‘Oh, Keyshawn just a spoiled brat.’ ‘Oh, Keyshawn just a diva.’ ‘Oh, Keyshawn just wants the football. But here we are now, how many years later, and stuff is coming to the surface. I’m not just gonna let it disappear because I was the bad guy.”
Johnson failed to mention Gruden’s homophobic remarks, all of which were exposed in an explosive New York Times report that came out on Monday. Johnson later appeared on ESPN, and continued his attack on the former Raiders head coach, pointing out that his lone title came after joining the Buccaneers, a team entirely constructed by Tony Dungy.
“He’s just always been a fraud to me,” Johnson said. “From day one he’s been a used car salesman and people bought it.”
Johnson specifically mentioned Gruden’s behavior on the podium following the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl XXXVII victory over the Raiders, claiming he snatched the Lombardi Trophy away from then-general manager Rich McKay. While Gruden did appear overzealous, he actually took the trophy from owner Malcolm Glazer.
McKay parted ways with the Buccaneers to become president and general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. A 2002 ESPN article reports McKay preferred hiring Marvin Jones as the successor to Dungy, but the Glazer family wanted Gruden.
