Jon Gruden Downplays Sideline Argument With Derek Carr
When the Oakland Raiders signed head coach Jon Gruden to a 10-year $100 million deal last offseason, expectations were high in Oakland with fans believing Gruden can lead them back into the playoffs this season. Finally, Oakland Raiders news next!
Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as planned in Oakland with Gruden gutting the team. Also, hoping to rebuild with a plethora of draft picks after trading away former Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack and Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper.
Things took a turn for the worse this week. This is when cameras caught Gruden and quarterback Derek Carr having a war of words on the sidelines. Once the video hit the internet, it quickly went viral with fans joking about Carr being the next player to be shipped off somewhere.
Rather, after the game, Gruden downplayed the incident. Telling reporters he and Carr have had heated conversations in the past and will likely have more in the future.
“That’s the first time you’ve seen it,” Gruden said with an impish grin, “but it isn’t the first time it’s happened. We’re both competitors. We’re competing hard there. We had a man-to-man situation and he went for the big play.
Oakland Raiders In Shambles
“We had a mild disagreement. But you know what, that’s part of this business. We’re going to have times where we clash a little bit but we’re also very supportive of one another. I’m really proud of him. He’s been through a lot this year, and I’m glad he’s our quarterback.”
Carr also tried to downplay the argument, saying he was surprised they haven’t been caught arguing on camera before.
“We’re both very fiery — a lot of people don’t see that in me, all the time — we’re both competitive,” Carr said. “A minor disagreement on something and the beautiful thing is, when we do that, it’s not a demeaning thing or pointing a finger. We’re both yelling the same kind of thing, almost: ‘Let’s fix it!’
“Everything’s good, I promise.”
Since the trade deadline has already passed, we will have to wait until the season is over to see how the situation plays out.