“Saturday Night Live” took on the NFL and its scandal over the last week regarding the emails between Jon Gruden and former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen.
Cecily Strong, Colin Jost, James Austin Johnson, Alex Moffat, Pete Davidson, Andrew Dismukes, Heidi Gardner, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd and Kenan Thompson all parodied the different characters involved in the controversy during the show’s cold open Saturday night.
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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden speaks on his headset during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Las Vegas.
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Jost played NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and talked about all the names and slurs he was called in the email chain.
“I assure you, all 32 teams in our league understand that diversity is our strength. And I know our Black coaches would agree. Both of them,” Jost said.
Johnson parodied the former Las Vegas Raiders coach. Jost’s Goodell said that the Gruden character “got on his knees and begged” him to say a few words during the mock press conference and he added he allowed it because “you know how much I hate seeing someone kneel.”
“I hope you won’t judge me on the one email I sent 10 years ago, or the 20 emails I sent last Tuesday,” the Gruden character said. “When I called an African American player darker than the night with no stars, that wasn’t racial. I was referring to his sense of humor, which is extremely dark and edgy.”
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden celebrates after defeating the New Orleans Saints in an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, in Las Vegas.
(AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
As the cast of characters moved through taking potshots at the Raiders and the NFL, Redd appeared at the podium as Colin Kaepernick.
“Wow, so much stuff coming out about the NFL is maybe racist, kinda. Huh! I wonder if anyone tried to warn people about this before? I’m scratching my head trying to remember who said that. It’s almost like that’s the reason they banned me from the league,” the Kaepernick character said.
In the end, Thompson’s LeVar Burton character would be named the new head coach of the Raiders.
“I am the supreme football host now. I’ll take offense for 300. What is a handoff? I’m genuinely asking,” the Burton character said.
FILE – In this Dec. 12, 2018, file photo, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference in Irving, Texas.
(AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
The comedians were poking fun at the NFL after Gruden’s emails in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal revealed he used racist remarks, homophobic comments and expressed misogynistic views in emails with Allen while he was an ESPN commentator.
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The emails were flagged as part of the NFL’s investigation into the Washington Football Team amid workplace misconduct allegations. Gruden stepped down from the Raiders on Monday.