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Raiders owner Mark Davis doesn’t seem to be very happy about the events that resulted in the resignation of coach Jon Gruden.
Via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, Davis was asked about Gruden’s departure on Wednesday.
“I have no comment,” Davis said. And then he had a comment.
“Ask the NFL. They have all the answers.”
That’s a clear indication of frustration over the perception/reality that the NFL pressured Davis to fire Gruden, or Gruden to quit under threat of termination. Indeed, after Davis received some of the emails, he didn’t fire Gruden or pressure him to resign. It was only after someone leaked some of the emails to the media on Monday (following an initial leak on Friday) that the situation became untenable.
It’s fair to wonder whether Davis would have kept Gruden if the emails hadn’t been leaked. Given the loyalty Davis showed to Gruden even when Gruden was 19-29 through three full seasons and wasn’t remotely close to the host seat, that’s not a stretch.
Davis wants to win, and he surely believed Gruden helps the team more than Rich Bisaccia or any other interim options. Now, Davis seems to be miffed at the NFL for selectively utilizing otherwise confidential materials from the Washington Football Team investigation to force Gruden out.
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