The Las Vegas Raiders have announced that Rich Bisaccia will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021 season amid the email scandal surrounding former head coach Jon Gruden.
Last week, an old email surfaced implicating Gruden in racist language. A further investigation found a plethora of emails with offensive and inappropriate language, leading to his immediate resignation from the team.
As the team scrambles to pick up the pieces and salvage the rest of their season, they will turn to Bisaccia, the team’s special teams coordinator and assistant coach.
“Rich Bisaccia will serve as the Interim Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, effective immediately. Coach Bisaccia will meet with the media at the regularly scheduled media availability on Wednesday,” the Raiders announced Monday night.
As it stands, the Raiders are 3-2 but have already been marred by inconsistency. They won their first three games, including a win against the Baltimore Ravens. However, they have since lost two straight to the Los Angeles Chargers and the Chicago Bears.
They head on the road in Week 6 to face their division rivals, the Denver Broncos. Both teams have lost two straight after starting 3-0. This means that both the Raiders and Broncos will be desperate to get a season-saving win.
Bisaccia will then have a home game against the Philadelphia Eagles and a bye week to get settled into his new role.
Gruden releases statement on resignation
After the news broke that Gruden was on the way out in Las Vegas, he quickly released a statement apologizing for his actions, saying that he did not want to be a distraction for the Raiders moving forward.
“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”
