Jeff Fisher has joined the chorus of teams, players and fans who have been blasting former Raiders coach Jon Gruden for the content of emails he exchanged with former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen from 2010 through 2018.
Fisher took to Twitter on Tuesday night as he took exception to Gruden’s belief that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell forced him to draft Michael Sam, simply because he came out as gay ahead of the 2014 NFL Draft. Gruden, in an email to Allen, said the NFL shouldn’t have pressured him into drafting “queers.”
Fisher explained why St. Louis took Sam with its second-to-last pick of the draft.
“As a head coach for over 20 years, we drafted or didn’t draft, players based on a variety of qualities,” Fisher wrote of his drafting practices. “Their sexual orientation would never — and should never — play a part in the decision-making process.”
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The former co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 tallied 47 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown that season. The Missouri Tigers went 12-2 and made the SEC championship game.
Sam played on the practice squads of St. Louis and Dallas in 2014 before spending some time in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes in 2015.
Gruden announced his resignation as the Raiders’ coach on Monday following The New York Times’ report of more terrible emails. The Tampa Bay Bucs and Skechers have both distanced themselves away from him.
Fisher, who began his NFL head coaching career in 1994 with the Houston Oilers, coached 22 years in the league.
