Jay Gruden’s first season as coach of the Washington Redskins didn’t go so well, as the team went 4-12. Perhaps the biggest concern is that Robert Griffin III appears to be regressing under his tutelage, and the quarterback is enduring heavy scrutiny.
Gruden has advised his players to “tune out the noise” and avoid the criticism. But is the coach himself doing that or does he pay attention to what media and fans might be saying about him. Well, it turns out that Gruden does read and listen to the griping. And while he’s OK with people ripping his coaching, he takes issue with it getting personal.
“I listen to it a little bit. I read some articles,” Gruden said. “I kind of have to be up to date so when I come up here, I’m aware of what’s going on. “I really dislike the guy that called me a fat ass. I don’t mind you critiquing my coaching style, but to make fun of my weight, that’s unfair. I’m only 225. Jesus.”
Here is video of the remarks, courtesy of CSN Mid-Atlantic:
Someone called Gruden a fat ass? Deadspin’s Drew Magary called the coach as “Baby Fat” in his “Why Your Team Sucks” takedown/season preview of the Redskins. (And that’s kind of a funny nickname, especially when you compare Gruden to his brother Jon.) But “fat ass” is more mean-spirited. The Washington Post‘s Mike Jones noted that Gruden was likely referring to sports talk radio host Scott Ferrall with his remarks.
Ferrall went on a tirade during his CBS Radio show after Griffin was pummeled (eventually suffering a concussion) in the Redskins’ preseason game last Thursday (Aug. 20) versus the Lions, ranting at Gruden for leaving the quarterback in to face a heavy pass rush in a meaningless exhibition. Eventually, Ferrall got personal.
“I do not consider that man a head coach any more in the NFL, he’s a joke. I hope you’re in your car listening to me right now, you fat ass,” Ferrall said, as transcribed by 106.7 The Fan’s Chris Lingebach.
“You are despicable because you just let that happen to your star quarterback. And don’t tell me you know more than me because you’re some head coach; you’re an idiot! You’re a moron! I don’t care who you are. No one does that to a star player in the NFL except you, you loser! You’re an absolute loser!”
No word on whether or not Gruden heard Ferrall at the time or if the remarks were brought to his attention. But it’s probably better to stick to music on that radio, Coach. Plug in the iPod or play an easy listening station on Pandora instead.
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About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.