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Jon Gruden was inducted into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor in 2017. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
More than three years after removing Jon Gruden from the Ring of Honor, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are walking it back. The team announced Thursday that the disgraced former head coach will return to their Ring of Honor.
The honor was rescinded in 2021, as Gruden dealt with the firestorm around his bigoted emails that lead to him resigning as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
"Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Buccaneers 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," the team wrote in a statement. "Upon further reflection, we have decided to reinstate him into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor."
In November, Gruden was reportedly a guest of the Glazer family, who owns the Buccaneers, at Tampa Bay's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Gruden sat in the owners' suite for the game, with the invite reportedly marking a step toward reinstating Gruden into the Ring of Honor.
Gruden was the head coach of the Buccaneers from 2002 to 2008, leading the team to a Super Bowl victory in his first season. He was inducted into the Tampa Bay Ring of Honor in 2017, but removed four years later.
Emails from Gruden containing homophobic, misogynistic and racist language were made public in a New York Times report in October 2021, leading Gruden to eventually step away from the Raiders. Other than a consulting role with the New Orleans Saints, the former head coach has not held an official NFL position in the years since. In November, Gruden signed a multiyear deal with Barstool Sports as a commentator.
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