The former NFL coach shared his aspirations to coach at the college level during a conversation with Brandon Marcello from CBS Sports.
“Yeah, I’m interested in coaching,” Gruden remarked. “My dad was a college coach, I served as a college coach at Pitt, and my wife was a cheerleader at Tennessee when we first met. Hell yeah, I’m interested in coaching. I know I’m capable of aiding a team. I can help young players improve, and I’m confident in my ability to assemble a strong staff, which is my only guarantee. But yes, I’m very keen on coaching at any level. Period.”
Gruden Aims to Move Past 2021 Controversy
Since 2021, Gruden has not held any coaching role. He notably resigned from his position as head coach of the Raiders after The New York Times uncovered a series of his emails that contained homophobic, racist, and sexist remarks from his tenure as an ESPN analyst between 2011 and 2018. Following his resignation, Gruden trained various quarterbacks, including Kirk Cousins and Gardner Minshew, at his personal coaching facility during the off-season. He also worked as a consultant for the Saints last year.
The ex-Raiders coach has been hesitant to discuss his firing, explaining to CBS that he prefers to let “the due process take care of itself.” In November 2021, Gruden filed a lawsuit against the NFL, alleging that Roger Goodell or others disclosed his emails to the press to facilitate his exit.
While Gruden has typically been resistant to college coaching opportunities in the past, he is now open to entertaining such offers given his current circumstances.
“If there’s an organization out there that believes they could utilize a candidate, someone who can come in and invigorate the program, I’ll be right here in Tampa,” said Gruden. “I’ll be prepared to step in if called upon.”
Image Source: Jon Gruden @ Instagram
