Between his stints with the Buccaneers and the Raiders, Jon Gruden worked at ESPN Monday night football. After taking his last job at Barstool Sports, Gruden said he almost took another job, at the University of Tennessee.
“My wife was cheering for Tennessee,” Gruden said on Pardon My Take, via On3.com. “I love Tennessee. I was a graduate coach there and I talked to the athletic director,” Jon Gruden said. “And I don’t look up to anyone more than Peyton Manning and Kenny Chesney. Those are two of my favorite Tennessee guys. And I was really looking forward to it.”
But he didn’t.
“At that time I had so much fun with it Monday night football with Mike Tirico, I couldn’t take another job,” Gruden said. “It’s always exciting to get involved in the thought process and damn, Tennessee was one that’s very close to my heart. I almost considered pulling the trigger on that one.”
He didn’t specify the year, but as noted by On3.com, Tirico and Gruden worked together between 2011 and 2014.
Here’s a PFT item from 2012 where Gruden’s agent tried that shoot down rumors of Gruden going to Tennessee. That came between the regimes of Derek Dooley and Butch Jones. So it all fits.
It’s clear now, 12 years later, that it was much more than rumors, much more than the Tennessee AD doing due diligence and finding out Gruden wasn’t interested.
That was him. Despite what his agent said.
It’s no surprise. But it reminds us that in this industry, bullshit is everywhere. It is never wise to take anything for granted, especially if you are denying interest in a new job.
