Bob Lamont is a longtime agent who represents Jon Gruden and
many other coaches and Executives in the NFL. He spoke
with Ivor Kaufman of Joe Buck's fan.com recently and
LaMont used the term that Brent Musburger did back when this
was all happening to Gruden. Calling it. A hit job that
resulted in Gruden being pushed out as coach of the Raiders
emails from 2011
that were then leaked to the media, forcing Gruden out.
Here's what else. Lamont said, I really believe in my heart
and soul that Gruden will.
Again, I'd be very surprised if he didn't. My question is, what
did John really do? Most people wouldn't want their private
emails from 10 days ago, looked at, that's why if
you were to go to trial,
it would be devastating for the National Football League. This
wasn't good for anybody, that's why. I ended up, suing the NFL
and Goodell because everyone knows it was wrong. You have
650 thousand emails and he's six, were picked out, he wasn't
even in the league. He prevailed in court and he will
prevail again.
I think that Lamont was hitting in a strategy there.
They're for the litigation where
maybe they will
try to take a look
at the email messages
of other prominent figures in the NFL from 10 years ago. What
have they said in those moments I don't know that the judge is
going to let them do that because I think at a certain
point it
becomes a fishing Expedition. Yeah
typically is frowned upon in litigation.
You have to be looking for element that is evidence.
Excuse me. There's either relevant or reasonably
calculated to lead to Admissible evidence. I just,
I don't know that saying, well I want to see Roger Goodell's
emails from 10 years ago and I want to see
this person's. I want to see that person. I don't think that
flies the argument may have some appeal though,
right? It may, yeah. But but I still don't buy the idea that
he's going to coach again, I don't care if he wins 100
million dollars in his lawsuit. I don't think any NFL team is
going to coat is going
to hire him to be the head coach. Again, I'm with you
there 100%. I think Bob lamonta know, the Bob Lamont hype
machine. That's it's really what people around the NFL. FL
call it. He's a master at that. I think he's trying to speak it
into
existence. I'm sure it's still eating a Jon Gruden who loves
football, and watching film, and doing all those things. And
you know what Bob Lamont is saying or what any of us is
that it is a hit job. He got screwed, there's no doubt about
that. He did,
it was not fair and, you know, I think, you know,
I don't know why it happened. I think you and I have our
reasons of why we think it happened, but we don't know
that and
I just don't think no, but this current climate and the world
were in and the language that was used in those emails. Like
that's where, you know, again
like lines like hey, you know, most people don't want, you
know, their emails from 10 days ago, that that to me is just
like, I don't even know what I want to call. That just talk,
that's just talk. Yeah. I've never wrote an email to
anybody.
That goes, along those lines are uses those language,
no way. So that's where it sits. And there's a lot of
people out there that are just like me that have never gone
like That or even had those thoughts when they were writing
an email or attacks or anything like that. So I'm not saying
I'm sitting here being perfect, I've sent a lot of people,
the middle finger emoji
and some stuff like that, but certainly haven't
even gotten close to, you know, some of the territory that Jon
Gruden used in that and that's where it just. I just I'm with
you. There's no way they'd ever be back in the NFL, maybe
college football
may be there, but there's no way the NFL is having them
back.
The question is whether or not Gruden is part of Broader
culture, or whether or not he's an aberration. And that was one
of the things that we talked about a lot in the aftermath
that is, this indicative of how
folks in these positions typically communicate? Or is it
a one shot thing? Is he the only one and maybe they find
out through this litigation, look he got what he deserved
but there are things about it that
still bother us. They were ten year old emails. They were part
of a trove of documents that were supposedly being kept
secret. It but someone weaponized just a few of them
to take out Jon Gruden
during a season hurt, the Raiders
and her groom, but still all that said he sued the NFL
he sued Roger Goodell
he's not getting back in the NFL. Look at Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick.
Yeah, he initially got shunned
because of the anthem thing but when you take on big shield
and you force them to pay between five and ten million bucks,
at doesn't get you a red car.
Rolled out to go join one of the other teams in a fairly
small shop, who else is going to hire. And that's the other
thing too. Chris, Mark Davis was the only one that was going
to hire him for years ago. Yeah, he wasn't very good. He
didn't go to
the playoffs. Once in 23 years that he finished there, maybe
he would have made it last year since the team made it without
him but it's not like, people are going to be saying, well!
Well Jon Gruden is just a Super Bowl championship waiting to
happen.
No, I know, you're right about that. I don't think anybody's
thinking that and and I think your point with like big Shield
taking that on On a certainly doesn't help his case that way.
Definitely. And then you know
anything politics or
insensitive, you know,
borderline racist, comments and some other you know, ingenuous
language that was used there.
There's that's not going to fly.
And again, I, you know, I
not that football coaches are
are perfect or anything, but I don't think you're going to go
around football and seeing a lot of emails that they did
release them that are going to require Look like that. I'm
sorry. They're not as much as I want to respect my old coach
and everything there.
You're not going to find that
you know, certainly from not the new age coaches
and the Bill Belichick's of the world. And those type of guys,
I would just have a hard time believing that too. So that's
where I don't buy that all the way.
And yeah, you know, it is unfortunate. He wasn't even in
coaching and he wasn't even in the NFL when this was sent. And
it's all it's all weird.
But unfortunately, it did happen, and the
Facts are the facts of this point and I just can't see any
way that any teams going to want to bring him in and then
deal with the backlash distraction, all of those type
of things where fan base is going to be like what.
And it's just not going to be a good look for the shield. You
know, that the end of the day,
by the way, for those of you keeping at home, a Sims has mm
scorecard. In genuis is a word you just doesn't mean what
credit is that. It means innocent and unsuspecting. So
this Jennifer what do I looking for? Listen Jen disingenuous.
Really. Yeah that's still not
still. Well you got lucky. Okay, I got lucky word. Came
out that happened to actually be recognized by
the language. It just doesn't mean what you what you thought
it meant. Yeah, I I
do, I won't even be stunned. I'm saying there is no way in
hell, one of the 32 franchises in the NFL or 30, because
the Bucks, and the Raiders are probably probably not bringing
it back. Although
I don't know how long Josh McDaniels is going to be
the coach of the Raiders, but I guess, if anybody, A would give
the NFL the middle finger and hire the guy. Again, it would
be Mark Davis. I just I still don't see it happening anywhere
for him in the NFL and he's not going to reduce himself to go
work
for the XFL or
usfl. No, no. I mean,
maybe with crude in
college football. Maybe something he looks at there
where he could be a part of a program that, you know, was
willing to kind of swipe this under the rug, but I
don't think she'll be really seat. Do you really know?
I don't, I don't properly interacting with eight.
90 year olds from the standpoint of being patient and
teaching them. Not like teacher, I mean, he wants guys
who are going to be ready to go. Yeah, no, I your left
right? Yeah, I lived it. He doesn't. Hey, the years I was
there and I know one of the complaints with the glacier
family when they finally fire John
Gurdon was the lack of developing of young talent
because anytime we had a hole in the roster but we're always
looking for the 10-year veteran to film it
and that I think that's just that's a real thing with with
Jon Gruden. And he flirted with the idea of Notre Dame and
a few places like that. But ultimately I think like what
you said is spot on,
he's just not made for that having to,
you know, BS with parents and kiss their butts. And
you know, act like the the high school kid that hasn't done
crap as the greatest thing you've ever seen and you got to
roll out a red carpet,
that ain't Jon Gruden, let alone.
I think even in college football, what he did was
you know, too bad to where they, they can't let that
happen either.
By the way,
the status of the lawsuit, Jon Gruden did win on the question
of whether or not the case would be forced into the secret
rig. Kangaroo Court of arbitration
that is run by the NFL.
The NFL undoubtedly will appeal and appeal and appeal and
appeal and I think it'll be bogged down for months. If not
years, not many years but a couple years as the NFL tries
to get someone
At some higher level of the justice system to disagree with
the ruling that the case stays in court. They don't want this
case. In court of all the cases we've seen in recent years,
this is the one
they don't want to in court, because if it's in court, is
a lot of stuff that's going to come out. It's going to make
the NFL look.