Jon Gruden 'Ashamed' of Homophobic and Misogynist Emails That Ended His NFL Coaching Career

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Jon Gruden is speaking out for the first time about the homophobic and misogynist language he was accused of using in several emails that quickly upended his NFL coaching career in 2021.

The 59-year-old former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders said in a recent interview during Arkansas football's Little Rock Touchdown Club that he was "ashamed" of the emails that came to light via the media during the league's investigation into the Washington Commanders' alleged toxic culture.

RELATED: Raiders Coach Jon Gruden Publicly Apologizes After Email Denigrating Black Union Official Surfaces

Last October, the Wall Street Journal reported Gruden sent an email using a racially charged insult to denigrate a Black union official. Not long after that story, The New York Times reported Gruden sent numerous emails over seven years that "casually and frequently" used homophobic and misogynistic language to disparage people within the league. During that span, Gruden was a broadcaster and Monday Night Football analyst for ESPN. Gruden resigned from the Raiders shortly after the emails became public, and quickly thereafter filed a lawsuit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, which is ongoing.

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"I'm ashamed about what has come about in these emails, and I'll make no excuses for it," Gruden said in the interview, shared on Twitter by KATV sportscaster Steve Sullivan. "It's shameful."

Showing a flash of contrition in the interview, the former head coach whose career spanned 15 years in the NFL — including one Super Bowl victory with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — quickly declared he was a "good person" and a church-going family man.

"I've made some mistakes, but I don't think anybody in here hasn't." Gruden told the room. "I just ask for forgiveness, and hopefully I get another shot." The audience applauded that line.

RELATED: Jon Gruden Steps Down As Raiders Head Coach After Leaked Emails Reveal Homophobic, Profane Language

In the same interview, Gruden said of the media, "I get choked up because there's a lot of misunderstanding out there right now. What you read, what you hear, what you watch on TV."

He then took a shot at his other former employer, ESPN. "Hell, I worked at ESPN for nine years — worked hard at that job," Gruden said. "I don't even want to watch the channel anymore because I don't believe everything is true. And I know a lot of it is just trying to get people to watch."

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In May, a judge dismissed the NFL's attempt to have Gruden's lawsuit dismissed, the Associated Press reported.

A rep for the NFL declined comment to PEOPLE concerning Gruden's recent remarks.