Jon Gruden (Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)
Former Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden is returning to pro football, but not in the capacity you’d expect.

Jon Gruden resigned from the Raiders early in the 2021 season after news broke of his email scandal. The former “Monday Night Football” commentator spent the 2023 season as a consultant for the New Orleans Saints, but wasn’t brought back for 2024.

On Monday, Arena Football One league Commissioner Jeff Fisher announced that Gruden is joining the ownership group of the Nashville Kats. The AF1 club is owned by Fisher Football Ventures LLC, with Fisher serving as the Kats’ Chief Advisor:

‘The Nashville Kats and the Arena Football 1 league are very excited to have someone with Jon’s experience and expertise and success to not only be part of the ownership but also take an active role in a variety of ways within the organization”

Here is Jon Gruden’s statement:

“I have been a fan of indoor football for a long time and jumped at the opportunity to be involved with Jeff and the Nashville Kats as part of the ownership group. I have so much respect for what Jeff has done over his career and continues to do with the Nashville Kats and as commissioner of AF1. I’m excited to be part of the team.”

Fisher was the head coach of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise from 1994 to 2010 and for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams from 2012 to 2016. Fisher also spent one year as head coach and GM of the USFL’s Michigan Panthers before resigning.

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Gruden resigned in 2021 after old emails were leaked of him using racist, homophobic and misogynistic language. The Super Bowl 37-winning head coach resigned soon after, stating that he didn’t want to be a distraction to the Raiders.

Jon Gruden Had A Complicated NFL Coaching Career

Jon Gruden (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Over 15 seasons as a head coach, Jon Gruden went 117-112-0. He turned the Raiders into a juggernaut before being traded to the Bucs in the 2002 offseason. Fittingly, Gruden led Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl victory over the Raiders in his first season with his new team.

But Tampa Bay never won another playoff game under “Chucky”, and he was fired after the 2008 season. After nine seasons in the ‘MNF’ broadcast booth, he signed a 10-year, $100 million deal with the Raiders in 2018.

Gruden never finished better than 8-8 following his return to the NFL, though. In all, Gruden-coached teams only won double-digit games four times.

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.”

Jon Gruden & Buccaneers Reunite After Death Of Former Coach

Jon Gruden (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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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.

“My wife is a big Baker Mayfield fan,” Gruden added. “(Bucs general manager) Jason Licht has done a great job putting that team together. Hopefully, they have a chance to win it all one day.”