Jon Gruden’s first year back with the Oakland Raiders has pretty much been a disaster thus far. He’s not proven to be good either as a coach or as the top personnel decision-maker.
Just about the only thing Gruden has been good at upon his return to the league is throwing shade at his own players. He provided yet another example of this impressive skill as he had a go at frustrated Raiders cornerback Rashaan Melvin.
Melvin recently went on Twitter to vent about having to change his style, which sounded like a veiled critique of Gruden’s coaching.
I’m done trying to change my style. It’s not me. Back to what I know and what got me here!! ✌🏾😤😤 #22
— Rashaan Melvin (@Rmelvin30) October 15, 2018
Unsurprisingly, Gruden was asked about the cornerback’s tweet. The Raiders coach said he was aware of it, and his response to Melvin's rant was pretty brutal.
Gruden was aware of Rashaan Melvin's tweet/unhappiness: "Melvin is on his seventh team. Maybe he is confused about what technique he is using. He is frustrated. I can't blame him … He is a good kid." #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) October 16, 2018
To be fair to Gruden, there’s some truth to his comment. There’s a good reason Melvin has bounced around the league for so long, which is that he’s not all that good.
But still, it’s not a good look for Gruden to be taking veiled shots at his players, especially with their season falling apart.
Perhaps it would be more productive for all involved if he stopped sounding off about his players publicly and offered a bit more encouraging words to rally his troops.
While Gruden says the Raiders aren’t tanking, their season is very much headed to the tank. And if he doesn’t find a way to right the ship soon, a few other Raiders might follow Melvin’s lead and mutiny against their shade-throwing captain.