Bucs to restore Gruden to Ring of Honor

Jon Gruden will once again be a part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Ring of Honor.

The team announced Thursday that it was reinstating its former head coach after removing him in 2021.

"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 said in statement. "Upon further reflection, we have decided to reinstate him into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor."

Gruden was initially inducted to the Ring of Honor in 2017. He was removed in the wake of articles released by a number of outlets in the fall of 2021 that revealed Gruden's use of racist, homophobic and misogynist language in emails. Then the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, Gruden resigned from his position after their release.

"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have advocated for purposeful change in the areas of race relations, gender equality, diversity and inclusion for many years," the said in the statement announcing his removal. "While we acknowledge Jon Gruden's contributions on the field, his actions go against our core values as an organization. Therefore, he will no longer continue to be a member of the Buccaneers Ring of Honor."

A 61-year-old native of Sandusky, OH, Gruden spent seven seasons as the Bucs head coach from 2002 to 2008, leading the team to a mark of 57-55.

Gruden coached the team to its first Super Bowl title in his first season in 2003, defeating the Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII.