The major storyline coming out of the NFL this week had nothing to do with football. On Monday night, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden resigned from his position after damning emails of him using insensitive and inappropriate language were leaked. Gruden sent racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments through emails that were recovered during the NFL‘s recent investigation into the Washington Football Team.
It’s a development that shocked the NFL world, and a topic that reporters have been asking other NFL coaches around the league about. On Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy gave his opinion on the matter, saying that we should all be careful when it comes to how we interact with other people, and that it all comes down to respect.
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“I think first of all I think it’s a reminder that we all need to treat each other better,” McCarthy said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I think it’s a very disappointing situation where people are offended, a number of people also affected. I also as a position of leadership in this league and society, it comes with a lot of very high level of accountability. That’s something that’s a privilege and that’s something that we all recognized. It’s disappointing, very unfortunate.
“I just think it comes down to common respect. You have to be aware. Your thoughts and your words, they matter. It reflects your position and what you’re trying to get done. When you talk about culture and workplace, you want the positive energy and the environment to thrive so everybody can be the best they can be. It frankly goes back to my first statement. We need to treat each other better.”
McCarthy was not the only head coach to weigh in on Gruden’s resignation, as Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers called it a “sad” situation for everyone, including the Raiders organization and Gruden himself. Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers also chimed in, calling Gruden resigning the “best decision for all parties.”
