Tampa Bay Buccaneers Make Huge Announcement On Former Head Coach Jon Gruden

Jon Gruden (Photo via Kim Klement/Imagn Images)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reinstating former head coach Jon Gruden as a member of their Ring of Honor following a four-year spell.

That is according to the Tampa Bay Times, which reports that the 61-year-old found out he was being returned to the team’s ROH while on holiday in the Great Smoky Mountains this Thursday after having his name removed but then making peace with the Bucs in more recent times.

“Jon Gruden was vacationing in the Great Smoky Mountains on Thursday when he learned that his name was going to be elevated to rare but familiar heights at Raymond James Stadium,” the publication reported.

“I got a chance to get reconnected this (past) season at a game with the Buccaneers,” Gruden told the Times. “Some of my best memories in life were at Raymond James Stadium with the Bucs, and it’s a great feeling and a great honor.”

The Bucs made a statement on the decision on Thursday.

“Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Bucs Ring of Honor based on his many accomplishments during his seven seasons as our head coach and he remains a significant figure in the history of our franchise,” it reads. ”Upon further reflection, we have decided to reinstate him into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.”

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Jon Gruden (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Tampa Bay announced that they were removing Gruden from the ring the day after he resigned as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. Gruden stepped down in the wake of emails in which he used racist, homophobic, and misogynistic terms leaking to the press. He has been inching back toward football over the past year and could possibly land another job in the future.

“While we acknowledge Jon Gruden’s contributions on the field, his actions go against our core values as an organization,” the team said at the time. “Therefore, he will no longer continue to be a member of the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.”

The decision led to a rift that lasted several years. However, the team’s ownership reunited with Gruden after a celebration of life for their former defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, last July.

Monte’s son, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, spoke about his father’s ability to forgive and give second chances during the ceremony.

Per the Times, Lane’s words “struck a chord with the Glazer family,” who invited their former coach to a game against the San Francisco 49ers in November.