New Orleans Saints Head coach Dennis Allen said he wasn’t concerned about any possible «backlash» he might face after inviting former Los Angeles Raiders coach Jon Gruden to attend practice last week, more than a year ago. and a half after an email leak forced Gruden out of the league. .
After Tuesday’s OTA session, Allen said Gruden was among several coaches who visited the team, adding that the motivation behind the invite was Gruden’s connection to the quarterback. Derek Carr.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden speaks with quarterback Derek Carr during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
«Obviously, Jon is a guy who has a lot of experience with Derek, and Derek has had his biggest success with Jon Gruden,» Allen said.
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«And so we were looking forward to bringing him in, having the opportunity to sit down and visit with him as part of the offensive staff, with the quarterbacks and just to get new thoughts and ideas of things that we could implement.»
Allen said Gruden’s visit probably won’t result in a major overhaul of the team’s offensive strategy.
«I would say, offensively, for a long time that I’ve been here, we’ve been pretty effective offensively. So, I don’t see us putting in a whole new offense or doing anything dramatic. But if there are some ideas we could take from that, we felt it would be beneficial. «.
Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden talks with quarterback Derek Carr (4) before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at RingCentral Coliseum on December 15, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
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When asked if he was «concerned» about any possible «backlash», Allen dismissed the idea.
«No, look, ask everyone who was involved and thought it was really beneficial for our football team,» he said. «And, look, we’re going to look at whatever avenues we can to try to improve. So that was one area where we thought, just bringing him in and having a chance to sit down and visit him would help us.»
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden runs off the field during halftime during a game against the Chicago Bears on October 10, 2021 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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Gruden resigned the raiders in 2021 after an investigation into Washington’s workplace misconduct found he sent emails containing racist, misogynistic and homophobic language over the course of a 10-year period.
He later apologized, saying he was «ashamed» about it.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.