Las Vegas Raiders Coach Says He’s Not a Racist, Again, After Loss

The head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders has once again denied he is a racist after his team played—and lost—its first game since the revelation of his racial comment in a 2011 email about NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith. “I am not a racist. I can’t tell you how sick I am,” Jon Gruden told reporters following the Raiders’ 20-9 loss to the Chicago Bears. “I apologize again to De Smith… I had no racial intentions with those remarks at all. I’m not like that at all. I don’t want to keep addressing it.” Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Gruden had written to former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen during the 2011 NFL lockout, making a racist comment about Smith’s facial features. Gruden first apologized when contacted by the Journal. The Associated Press reported that the league is looking into the incident and that two sources familiar with the process said disciplinary action for Gruben is possible, though one added suspension is unlikely.