Jon Gruden shocked the football world four years ago when a scandal came to the public eye revealing offensive emails that contained misogynistic and homophobic language.
Once disgraced from the league, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders head coach has worked to clean his image in the public eye while working back toward involvement in the game. A month ago, he got one step closer.
Gruden became a part of the ownership group with the Nashville Kats in May, joining in an advisory and consulting capacity. As he serves in that role, Gruden has also kept himself involved in NFL circles, visiting several teams over the last few years.
Most recently, Gruden observed the defending AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens. Head coach John Harbaugh opened up about Gruden's appearance and what that entailed.
"He loves football, he's a great football coach, great football mind," Harbaugh said via the team website. "He studied our team, gave us some insight — players, coaches, schemes, all of it. We didn't give him the playbook, we didn't give him a script either. You can only go so far. He studied us."
"Basically, the message was, 'If I was game planning against you on defense, what would I do, how would I attack you? He didn't just stop there. He watched our offensive guys. He had something for each player. Very, very detailed."
Both Harbaugh and Gruden share some common ground in that they have both reached the pinnacle of the sport and won a Super Bowl. For Harbaugh, there is certainly some benefit to bringing in a sharp football mind to observe a team and give his feedback.
Even for players like Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, there is always something to be learned from a veteran coach.
Gruden may still be a long ways from even being considered for an NFL job again though he has tried to make amends for his previous actions. For the Ravens, the offseason grind continues with mandatory minicamp approaching and set to begin on June 17.
