Charles Woodson Defends Jon Gruden, Randy Moss Calls Out NFL

Jon Gruden is in hot water this week after an old email Gruden sent in 2011 surfaced containing a racial trope about NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. The Raiders came out with a statement condemning the comments, but Gruden's status as their head coach remains intact, leading some to question his integrity and that of the Raiders.

Raiders legend Charles Woodson, who played under Gruden and remains closely connected with the organization, came out in defense of Gruden today, saying he doesn't believe Gruden is racist and pointing out the Raiders' history of progressiveness starting with the ownership.

While Woodson was on the defensive, Randy Moss, who also played for the Raiders but not Gruden, came out on the offensive, putting the onus on the NFL to step in and address this situation.

Gruden apologized for the email, but as Moss points out, this kind of language can't be tolerated in society today, especially not in a league that profits so much based on the performance of so many black men.

Is it the NFL's place to levy a suspension? That's harder to say. But it certainly doesn't look good when one of the primary storylines around the league this week has been racially-charged verbiage used by one of their most well-known coaches.