Newsmax’s Greg Kelly defended former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden Tuesday night by railing against Gruden’s resignation, which came after it was revealed he’d used sexist and racist language in emails. In one of the reported emails, Gruden used the homophobic f-word to describe NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Kelly insisted that in the era in which he and Gurden grew up, culture was just different: “The f-word that rhymes with maggot was in wide use and circulation and it didn’t get you cancelled.”
To make his point, he noted that the slur was used in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” a movie that came out almost 30 years ago. To modernize his argument, he cited the slur’s use in 2011’s “Horrible Bosses.”
Some of the emails, which were first detailed by the New York Times, dismissed or disparaged changes in the NFL. Gruden reportedly expressed his distaste for the addition of female referees, the drafting of a gay player and tolerance for players protesting during the national anthem. He also reportedly attacked individuals within the league. Of NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, he reportedly said, “Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin tires.”
Kelly defended this by dismissing the idea that Gruden was being racist toward Smith, who is Black, because Mick Jagger, who is white, has big lips too, and comedian Eddie Murphy has made fun of them.
Ultimately, after expressing confusion over why Gruden faces criticism for disparagingly using the word “queers” in an email while “Queer Eye” streams on Netflix, Kelly concluded, “White men are under attack.”