The world may think very little of Jon Gruden these days over the leaked emails he had written over a seven-year period, but Andre Rison is squarely in his corner and does not believe he is a racist.
Rison — who played for Gruden and the Raiders in the 2000 NFL season — spoke to TMZ Sports about the situation and explained why he couldn’t possibly be racist despite the vile, racist, homophobic and misogynistic words he had written.
“We all say some things behind closed doors that we regret or we wouldn’t say in public,” said Rison, who’s remained close to Gruden even after the ’00 season ended. “We’ve all made mistakes.”
“I believe who he said and what he said and who he intended it for, it was intended for that person and nobody else.”
Despite what he is going through, Rison thinks Gruden should hold his head high.
“You’ve already given this game some of the best tutelage and best leadership that you could possibly give,” Rison said in a message to Gruden. “So if you don’t ever touch the game again, don’t feel any type of way.”
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“Go on with your life and enjoy it with the rest of the Gruden family.”
The Indianapolis Colts drafted Rison with the 22nd pick of the 1989 NFL draft, as he shoned as a rookie catching 52 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns. His career would end there when the team traded him to the Atlanta Falcons after one year in a massive deal to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 NFL draft. The Colts went on to take QB Jeff George, while Rison made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons in Atlanta.
In 12 professional seasons, Rison gathered 743 receptions for 10,205 yards. He also scored 84 touchdowns and averaged 13.7 yards per catch.
Rison made more than $20 million during his impressive NFL career, but he ended up losing everything and was featured in the ESPN 30 for 30 episode “Broke.” He would declare for bankruptcy in 2007 as Celebrity Net Worth estimates his net worth at just $250,000.
