Rams’ Sean McVay says he’s ‘surprised’ by Jon Gruden emails

THOUSAND OAKS — Sean McVay has known Jon Gruden for a agelong time, since earlier helium started his NFL coaching vocation connected Gruden’s unit successful Tampa Bay, 1 of galore nonrecreational connections betwixt their families going backmost decades.

But McVay, present the Rams’ coach, says helium didn’t cognize the bigoted broadside of Gruden revealed successful emails made nationalist successful the past week.

“I tin lone talk connected my idiosyncratic interactions with him,” McVay said Wednesday. “But I person not seen that broadside of him, and I was amazed by that.”

Gruden resigned arsenic the Las Vegas Raiders’ manager Monday nighttime pursuing reports of his usage of racist, misogynistic and anti-gay connection successful emails betwixt 2011 and 2017.

Uncovered successful an NFL probe of workplace misconduct successful the Washington Football Team organization, the emails disparaged players national main DeMaurice Smith, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the hiring of women referees and the Rams’ 2014 drafting of openly cheery antiaircraft extremity Michael Sam.

The emails, written erstwhile Gruden was betwixt coaching jobs and moving arsenic an expert for ESPN, mostly were exchanged with then-Washington president Bruce Allen. But immoderate progressive different associates, including Jim McVay, who ran the Outback Bowl. Jim McVay is Sean McVay’s uncle.

Sean McVay opened his regular pre-practice property league Wednesday with a connection calling the concern “unfortunate” and expressing sympathy for different Raiders employees and families affected by Gruden’s resignation.

Facing questions, McVay said, “(I’m) conscionable bittersweet astir it. It’s unfortunate. I conscionable privation to truly permission it astatine that.”

Asked if helium was bittersweet astir the contented of the emails, oregon bittersweet for Gruden, McVay said it was “all of the above.”

“I’m bittersweet for the galore radical that person been negatively affected, anybody that was offended by this,” McVay said. “It’s benignant of a bittersweet commentary each around, and it’s an unfortunate happening that we’re adjacent talking astir it close now.”

McVay stopped abbreviated of straight condemning oregon defending Gruden.

Back successful 2018, erstwhile McVay’s Rams opened the play with a 33-13 triumph implicit Gruden’s then-Oakland Raiders, determination was overmuch treatment of their families’ half-century of past and McVay’s Grudenlike vocal mannerisms.

“So overmuch of what I’ve learned astir this crippled has been from his mentorship that he’s provided,” McVay said of Gruden successful a 2018 communicative by ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry.

Gruden talked past astir going retired of his mode successful 2008 to prosecute a then-22-year-old McVay to beryllium the Buccaneers’ adjunct wide receivers coach.

The football-immersed families had been connected since McVay’s gramps John coached Dayton and hired Gruden’s begetter Jim for his unit successful the 1960s, and continued erstwhile McVay’s begetter Tim played antiaircraft backmost and Jim Gruden was connected the unit astatine Indiana successful the ’70s and erstwhile John McVay was an enforcement and Jon Gruden a greenish adjunct manager with the 49ers successful the ’90s.

After his Tampa Bay stint, McVay was the violative coordinator successful Washington nether Jay Gruden, Jon’s brother, from 2014-16.

McVay said Wednesday helium wasn’t contacted by NFL investigators, adjacent though his Washington tenure fell during the play of the Gruden emails. McVay said helium hadn’t talked with Gruden since the contention erupted.

“I similar to judge that radical are innately good,” McVay said. “I besides deliberation that there’s mistakes that radical person made, that I’ve made. Nobody’s perfect. I deliberation there’s thing to beryllium said for mercy, for grace and for forgiveness.”

McVay, who is white, was asked if he’s assured that the casual bigotry evident successful Gruden’s emails with a Washington enforcement wouldn’t hap with the Rams.

“I’ve been raised to emotion people, to attraction astir people,” McVay said. “I deliberation 1 of the large things astir this crippled is you bring radical unneurotic from a clump of antithetic backgrounds, and I deliberation determination becomes an knowing of past you spot radical successful their purest signifier and that’s what you emotion astir being capable to bash this and the antithetic magnitude of radical that I’ve been exposed to.

“I’m truly saddened by that. I saw that my uncle was connected immoderate of those chains, but I can’t talk connected behalf of immoderate of the content. Saddened is an due word, and I’d similar to deliberation there’s an ambiance and situation present that’s astir helping radical scope their highest potential, having empathy, caring astir people, and that’s what I deliberation we’ve displayed and I deliberation that’s what the radical that person been successful this gathering would say, and that’s truly important to me.”

NOTES

The Rams (4-1) expect them each to beryllium acceptable to look the New York Giants (1-4) successful New Jersey connected Sunday, but antiaircraft tackle Aaron Donald missed signifier Wednesday aft banging a genu during past week’s triumph implicit the Seattle Seahawks, kicker Matt Gay was constricted with a sore ankle, and moving backmost Jake Funk was constricted with a hamstring injury. … Quarterback Matthew Stafford said the digit helium injured successful the Seahawks crippled is “good.” … Giants moving backmost Saquon Barkley (ankle), backmost Daniel Jones (concussion) and wide receiver Kenny Golladay (knee) missed practice.