Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to Jon Gruden’s resignation, leaked email comments

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday morning that the leaked email remarks and subsequent resignation of Jon Gruden remind him “we are all accountable.” 

Gruden resigned Monday night as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in the wake of reports revealing racist, misogynistic and homophobic language in emails. Gruden was in the fourth year of a 10-year, $100 million contract with the Raiders. 

Jones discussed the news during his regularly scheduled radio appearance on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. 

“I know these people. I know everybody you’ve been reading about,” Jones said. “They’re outstanding proponents of our game, they have represented this game in many cases beautifully. Certainly we all continue to recognize what a spotlight you’re in and the way we should express ourselves.”

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Jones declined to comment on whether Gruden should have lost his job. 

“I don’t have anything I would want to express one way or the other,” Jones said when asked. “From the standpoint of contribution, I know we all are accountable to even a, if you will, fleeting or minor part of our actions. We all are accountable to those. That’s about all I want to comment on that. 

“We’re talking about people here, and even the ones that some of the comments are directed about: those have been outstanding people in the NFL.” 

Gruden’s comments came over the course of emails sent from 2011 through 2018 to former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen. The NFL obtained the emails as part of an investigation into the workplace culture of the Washington Football Team, for whom Allen was formerly president. Jones said standards of accountability related to such communication has changed, “daylight and dark.” 

“The technology alone but certainly because of the expectation, it’s dramatically changed but they were changing from what they were 30 years ago or 30 years earlier,” Jones said. “We just have to keep your eyes open. The incidents that get portrayed aren’t necessarily a reflection of the individual or a reflection of his life but they certainly are impactful and you are accountable for them. That’s about all I can say. It’s almost like looking at an instance and trying to describe it rather than have an opinion on it. 

“The opinion is I wish we could have all things we’re discussing be complete positives. But that’s not life.” 

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.