Jon Gruden, Bigot, Is Being Removed From Madden 22

Jon Gruden, a hateful little man, this week resigned as Head Coach of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders after revelations he sent numerous racist, homophobic and misogynistic emails. He will now also have his face scrubbed from EA Sports’ Madden 22

Gruden, who first hit the spotlight last week over allegations he had made racist comments about the NFL Player’s Union Chief DeMaurice Smith, was then found by the New York Times to have sent other emails to peers and colleagues in which, “He denounced the emergence of women as referees, the drafting of a gay player and the tolerance of players protesting during the playing of the national anthem.”

He also called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a, “clueless anti football pussy,” along with an even worse homophobic slur, and that—as stated by the NYT—“Goodell should not have pressured Jeff Fisher, then the coach of the Rams, to draft ‘queers,’ a reference to Michael Sam, a gay player chosen by the team in 2014.”

Oh, and also:

In numerous emails during a seven-year period ending in early 2018, Gruden criticized Goodell and the league for trying to reduce concussions and said that Eric Reid, a player who had demonstrated during the playing of the national anthem, should be fired. In several instances, Gruden used a homophobic slur to refer to Goodell and offensive language to describe some N.F.L. owners, coaches and journalists who cover the league.

Cool guy! Anyway, as is standard practice these days for when an athlete or coach turns out to have been a piece of shit, EA Sports is moving swiftly to get him out of Madden 22. If you’ve never played it, Madden 22 doesn’t just recreate the league’s players, it also shows each team’s Head Coach on the sidelines, and cuts to them frequently throughout games. (They’re also a part of your setup in career modes.)

A statement released by EA Sports earlier today says Gruden will be removed “in the coming weeks” after an update, and he’ll be replaced on the Raiders’ sideline by “a generic likeness.”

EA SPORTS IS COMMITTED TO TAKING ACTION IN MAINTAINING A CULTURE OF INCLUSION AND EQUITY. DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF JON GRUDEN’S RESIGNATION, WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO REMOVE HIM FROM MADDEN NFL 22. WE WILL REPLACE HIM WITH A GENERIC LIKENESS VIA A TITLE UPDATE IN THE COMING WEEKS.