Less than four years after removing Jon Gruden from their Ring of Honor, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers restored the distinction for the Super Bowl-winning coach on Thursday.
Gruden was removed from the Ring of Honor in October 2021 after leaked emails showed he used misogynistic, racist and homophobic language. The scandal prompted Gruden to resign from his job as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Buccaneers wrote in a statement on Thursday, “Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Buccaneers 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. Upon further reflection, we have decided to reinstate him into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.”
When the Buccaneers took Gruden out of the Ring of Honor, they stated that “his actions go against our core values as an organization.”
Gruden, 61, coached Tampa Bay from 2002-08, guiding the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in his first season. He compiled a 57-55 regular-season mark as Tampa Bay’s head coach, plus a 3-2 postseason record.
He also coached the then-Oakland Raiders from 1998-2001, and he was back with the Raiders from 2018-21 (through their move to Las Vegas in 2020) before his resignation.
Overall as an NFL head coach, Gruden has a 117-112 regular-season record and a 5-5 postseason record.
