Jon Gruden Out As Las Vegas Raiders Coach Over Racist, Homophobic Emails: AP

The problem, Mark, is that some people don't know what those things are. Many words and statements began as racial, sexist, and homophobic tripes and now are embedded into our language. For example:

That's the pot calling my the kettle black.
"master" bedroom
The Masters Tournament (That golf course was segregated for years.)
Cakewalk
Uppity
"Gyp" someone
"jew" somebody
Indian giver
paddy wagon (a slur against the Irish)
Cotton picking (have you lost your cotton picking mind)
Cracker (a person who worked for the owner who cracked the whip or literally whipped slaves)
smear the queer (a game I remember playing as a kid not even knowing its connotation.)

I was watching a lot of sports talk shows over the weekend, and I was surprised by how many Black athletes and sportscasters who know and have worked or played for Gruden came to his defense. One said he definitely should not be fired. He said he believed Gruden's apology was genuine. He additionally said he should be forgiven.

Taking away a person's livelihood for an ignorant mistake which can actually be used as a teaching moment will only breed contempt in that person and others. If there is no forgiveness, there can never be reconciliation.

SGT (Join to see) - I'm 40 and I know the difference between right and wrong. Gruden is much older than me and either A. knows right from wrong or B doesn't feel the need to change / be better. It is up to us to change for the better and if we give passes then things will not change or take much longer to change. Indeed Gruden can be forgiven but the hammer has to come down to show others that there is zero tolerance and must be consistent. Survivor bias, stockholm syndrome, or turning a blind eye should not be cause for keeping the offender from being punished. We all have room for improvement and must stay on course.