Chiefs Cast Aside Narrative Jon Gruden Is Racist, Homophobe, Sexist And Show Him Love

There was no guile in Andy Reid's voice on Wednesday when he told reporters about Jon Gruden's previous three days spent with the Kansas City Chiefs. It was as if any other former NFL coach was visiting and casually giving the defending Super Bowl champions some help.

"Yeah, listen, he advises a lot of people so he's staying busy," Reid said when asked if he's planning to hire Gruden as a consultant. "The grass isn't growing under his feet, man, he's rolling. I think he's just going to keep doing that. 

"Hopefully, he's able to get back in and get a head coaching job. A phenomenal football coach. He touched everybody here, both sides of the ball, special teams, he got to sit down in those meetings. Just a heck of a coach."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on during the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 10, 2023. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Andy Reid And Chiefs Are Awesome

And there it was – Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs doing it again:

Being free when others are locked up by fear.

Speaking their minds when others may deem it politically incorrect or even offensive.

Gruden, you may already know, is waging a full-on legal war against the NFL. Against commissioner Roger Goodell. And partly against the idea he's a racist, sexist, homophobe.

Gruden has been fighting to bring a civil contract interference and conspiracy suit in Nevada state court. The NFL has been similarly fighting, and so far winning, in trying to get the matter heard via arbitration – with Goodell, one of the named defendants, as the arbitrator.

It all stems from Gruden's contention the NFL leaked emails written when he was still an ESPN analyst, in which he said a lot of potentially offensive stuff. Gruden contends the NFL, under Goodell's watch, had the correspondence leaked to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in order to get him fired as coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Mahomes Loved Jon Gruden Visit

Gruden resigned from his Raiders coaching job in 2021, hours after the emails became public. And he's since pursued the civil suit alleging that selective disclosure of the emails and their publication by the New York newspapers ruined his career and endorsement contracts.

If Gruden wins the right to go to trial rather than arbitration, that will allow him to depose Goodell and others and bring the whole affair into the light of a courtroom.

An arbitration hearing, on the other hand, would be behind closed doors and never public, which is exactly where the NFL wants it.

And amid this ongoing and potentially scandalous legal battle, there was Reid hosting his friend for three days this week. The coach gave Gruden Chiefs gear to wear on the practice field. He asked him to talk to and advise even Kansas City's brightest stars.

"It's always great to hear offensive minds," quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. "And, obviously, someone we went up against, so you kind of can listen to ways they were trying to go against us and combat it with stuff we did well. 

"Him and coach Reid have a long history, so just to hear them talk about old school football plays is cool for me, being a football historian. It was fun to have him out here and just listen to him talk about football."

LAS VEGAS - Head coach John Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders reacts on the sideline during a game against the Chicago Bears at Allegiant Stadium on October 10, 2021. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Reid: Gruden Should Coach Again

This, by the way, is the Kansas City Chiefs being the Kansas City Chiefs. They're amazing.

A coach has been basically exiled from the league for years and is fighting tooth and nail to regain, well, something. He's fighting the entire league, the commissioner, not to mention everyone who thinks him despicablel for some of the things he wroite in the emails.

And Andy Reid is casually throwing him a lifeline – without fear of repercussions from the league or Goodell or your good opinion.

Reid not only brought Gruden to camp – as the New Orleans Saints did last season for a little bit – he's making the point that his friend remains a "phenomenal" NFL coach, and he's hoping Gruden gets back in the league.

It's strong. 

A Kansas City Chiefs helmet. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Chiefs Being The Chiefs

So we add this to the steadily growing list of things the Chiefs say and do that fly in the face of the mob.

Among those:

No gun control boosterism following the tragic shooting at their Super Bowl victory parade.

No X social media celebration about the start of pride month.

No dive into the political fray on any of their White House visits.

Support for kicker Harrison Butker when an ungodly number of people wanted the kicker fired.

One could go on with examples to which this one must be added.

The Chiefs, and specifically their coach, are not abandoning a friend because he offended some people in private emails. They're not worried what Roger Goodell thinks of the support. They don't care if you think Gruden is a bad guy for authoring those emails.

The Chiefs are simply being the Chiefs.