Jon Gruden resigned as the Las Vegas Raiders’ coach on Monday, and Madden NFL is ensuring he won’t grace the virtual sidelines for much longer. The video game franchise announced it will replace the 58-year-old Gruden with a generic likeness in the “coming weeks.”
Hours before Gruden’s resignation, the New York Times revealed the Super Bowl-winning coach sent numerous racist, homophobic and misogynistic emails to former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen while serving in ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” booth. That report came three days after the Wall Street Journal discovered Gruden used racist terms to describe NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.
“Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of Michelin tires,” Gruden wrote in a 2011 email, per the Wall Street Journal.
Madden has been unafraid to make bold decisions long before its Gruden announcement. The franchise added former San Francisco 49ers quarterback turned social-justice icon Colin Kaepernick, who hasn’t taken an NFL snap since 2016, to Madden 22. Kaepernick’s 81 rating was above bonafide starters such as Justin Herbert (80), Kirk Cousins (79), Trevor Lawrence (78) and Joe Burrow (77).
Madden has yet to announce whether the Raiders’ interim coach, former assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, will be added to the game. Bisaccia, 61, will make his head-coaching debut Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
Gruden, who was less than four years into a 10-year contract worth $100 million, led the Raiders to a 3-2 record this season. The team failed to finish above .500 under Gruden — who also coached the Raiders from 1998-2001 — in the previous three years.
The NFL’s only licensed video game, Madden NFL 22 was released on Aug. 20 and is available on PC, Playstation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Stadia.
