Bygones appear to be bygones for the Buccaneers and Jon Gruden.
The team announced Thursday that it would be returning his name to the team’s Ring of Honor four years after he had been removed following the release of emails that showed Gruden had used racist, homophobic and misogynistic language.
Gruden, 61, was on vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains this week when he found out that he would be reinstated to the Bucs’ Ring of Honor, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
“I got a chance to get reconnected this [past] season at a game with the Buccaneers,” Gruden told the outlet. “Some of my best memories in life were at Raymond James Stadium with the Bucs, and it’s a great feeling and a great honor.”
The Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers, had a change of heart about their 2021 decision after several members of the family and Gruden ran into one another at a memorial for former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, the father of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, in July.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, a speech by Lane about his father’s ability to forgive stuck with members of the Glazer family and led to them inviting Gruden and his wife to a game in November, which seemingly opened the door for the coach’s return to the Ring of Honor.
“Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Bucs Ring of Honor based on his many accomplishments during his seven seasons as our head coach and he remains a significant figure in the history of our franchise,” a team statement read a team statement on Thursday. ”Upon further reflection, we have decided to reinstate him into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.”
Gruden helped lead the Bucs to Super Bowl glory in Super Bowl 2003 when Tampa defeated the Raiders.
He was the head coach in Tampa Bay from 2002-08.
It was in 2021 when old emails came to light and led to him resigning from his post as Raiders head coach.
Gruden hasn’t coached in the NFL since the scandal but has kept himself involved in the game of football.
He served as an advisor for the Saints in 2023 and has a media career, currently working with Barstool Sports.
Gruden has repeatedly maintained hope for another shot at coaching, saying as such to CBS Sports in September.
“If someone’s looking for somebody to coach I’ll be in the bullpen, we’ll see what happens,” Gruden said. “But I have a great YouTube channel we’re very excited about and I’m putting all my focus in that now.”