The former Raiders CEO, Amy Trask, has sent a stern piece of advice to Mark Davis in the form of a letter. In her letter, she condemns Jon Gruden’s behavior and urges him to make a change in order to save his legacy.
Jon Gruden is a former NFL coach who has been the head coach of the Oakland Raiders since 2016. In his first year, he led the team to its worst record in 20 years and was fired after just 12 games. The next year, he returned to Oakland and led them back into the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
Highlights of the article:
- Jon Gruden, the former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, resigned after an email controversy.
- The NFL, according to Raiders owner Mark Davis, has “all the solutions.”
- Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask has spoken out on the team’s future.
In 2006, Raiders training camp included Amy Trask on the field | David Paul Morris/Getty Images ; Before a preseason game, Jon Gruden speaks with owner Mark Davis | Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Raiders of Las Vegas have had a rough week. Jon Gruden, the team’s head coach, suddenly resigned from his position. The publication of a series of hacked racist, sexist, and homophobic emails stunned Raider Nation and tarnished the organization.
Amy Trask, the former Raiders CEO, is speaking out about the sad situation and looking forward to how Mark Davis and the front staff can go forward.
Amy Trask was the Oakland Raiders’ previous CEO.
In 1997, Al Davis, the legendary former Oakland Raiders owner and general manager, named Amy Trask as the team’s CEO.
Trask served as the organization’s CEO until 2013. According to ESPN, she was in charge of the team’s non-football activities. After Davis died in 2011, she became the face of the franchise’s front office.
Trask has a background in law. She went to law school, but her first passion was football, which she discovered at an early age. In 1983, she interned with the Raiders before graduating and landing a position at a legal company.
In 1987, Davis recruited Trask to work in the team’s legal department, and the rest is history. She took it upon herself to learn all she could about the company, and she ultimately got the rewards.
Trask is now a CBS Sports commentator and a panelist on the CBS Sports Network’s We Need To Discussion, an all-sports women’s talk program. She is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Big 3, a professional three-on-three basketball league established by rapper and actor Ice Cube.
Mark Davis has done a poor job of dealing with the Jon Gruden issue.
Amy Trask worked for the Raiders during a pivotal moment in their history. She was a key member of a franchise that promoted diversity at all levels.
For Trask, the news of Jon Gruden’s emails and subsequent resignation struck close to home. Before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gruden was the Raiders’ head coach from 1998 to 2001. In 2018, he returned to the franchise to replace Jack Del Rio for the second time.
Trask, who knows Gruden well, was upset to hear that the former head coach had been able to make such derogatory comments over the course of seven years. She appeared on The Rich Eisen Show to discuss the topic.
The first word that came to Trask’s mind was “horrific.” She said that she didn’t spend much time with Gruden throughout their time together but that she didn’t see any obvious red flags about his behavior. “I would not have stayed quiet if he did,” she claimed.
After receiving the news, Trask voiced his dissatisfaction in Gruden. “More worrisome than the fact that it was in an email was the fact that it was in his heart,” she said. “That’s what he thought.”
Mark Davis, the company’s owner, was also urged by the previous CEO to stand up to the plate and right the ship. Davis refused to comment on Gruden’s departure, according to Pro Football Talk, stating, “Ask the NFL.” They know all there is to know.” Moving ahead, it doesn’t exactly inspire optimism in the players, staff, and supporters.
Davis’ Trask stated, “He did employ Jon, and he now has to confront it forcefully and unambiguously.” “I would also advise him to reach out to the Raiders’ fan base.”
Al Davis made an indelible mark on the NFL.
“This organization will be built on the foundations of class, pride, and poise.”
Al Davis’ message is still relevant 58 years later. pic.twitter.com/hjAEHkQIer
October 8, 2021 — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders)
Al Davis worked with the Raiders for almost 50 years. In 1963, while the club was still in the AFL, he took over as head coach and general manager.
Davis became the team’s primary owner in 1972 and remained in that position until his death in 2011. With Davis at the head, the Raiders made many postseason appearances and won three Super Bowls.
The Hall of Famer not only created a great product, but he also laid forth a template for operating a successful company in general.
Amy Trask recalls the guy who initially gave her a chance in the NFL with fondness. “It was also not lost on me that the news came on Al’s death anniversary,” she said. “Given all he’d done, everything he’d done throughout his life, that was also extremely tragic.”
When the Raiders recruited Trask, there weren’t many women in front office positions. The tide was turned by Al Davis. He was also the first CEO to employ Art Shell, a Black head coach. He also hired Tom Flores, the league’s second Latino head coach.
Davis was an outspoken supporter of diversity. Mark Davis, his son, should work hard to restore the NFL legacy that his father fought so hard to establish.
Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
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