Keyshawn Johnson on Jon Gruden: 'He's Just Always Been a Fraud to Me'

Former Buccaneers wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson was deactivated the final seven games of the 2003 season after yelling at Gruden on the sidelines of game.

Former wide receiver and current NFL analyst for ESPN Keyshawn Johnson said he always thought his former coach Jon Gruden was a 'fraud.' 

Johnson ripped the disgraced former Raiders coach after he resigned Monday when the New York Times uncovered misogynistic, racist and anti-LGBTQ emails sent by Gruden from 2010 to '18.

Gruden joined Johnson and the Buccaneers in 2002 when he was traded after the team fired coach Tony Dungy. In his first season in Tampa Bay, Gruden won a Super Bowl but Johnson detailed his issues with Gruden. 

"He's just always been a fraud to me," Johnson said. "From day one, he's been a used-car salesman and people bought it because he inherited a team built by Tony Dungy and Rich McKay."

“He’s just always been a fraud to me…from day one he’s been a used car salesman and people bought it.”@keyshawn reacts to Jon Gruden’s resignation from the Raiders. #KJM pic.twitter.com/iVu7vlJCjk

— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) October 12, 2021

McKay was Tampa Bay's general manager at the time but left the following season to take the general manager job in Atlanta. Johnson alleges that McKay left because of Gruden. 

 "I also saw through who he [Gruden] was through that journey of getting a championship," Johnson continued. "Think about it, we won the championship and we're standing on the podium in the Super Bowl, and the general manager's trying to raise the trophy and the head coach takes the trophy away from him, basically says 'give me this, this belongs to me.'

"And the next year the general manager leaves in the middle of the season because he doesn't want to deal with all the shenanigans that was going on. Rich McKay left in the middle of the season to go take another job, with another team, because he didn't want to be around this guy."

In 2003, Johnson could be seen yelling at Gruden on the sidelines and was deactivated for the final seven games of the season. The next season he was traded to the Cowboys. Johnson also appeared on ESPN's First Take, where he touched on that situation and said Gruden often spoke ill of people behind their backs. 

"This dude is a fraud, ya'll don't seem to understand," he said. "He's selling you on something and you're buying it. He's been doing that for years."

.@keyshawn speaks on former coach Jon Gruden:

"Man this dude is a fraud. Y'all don't seem to understand he's selling you on something and you're buying it. He's been doing that for years. ... Talking behind people's backs, that was one of his traits in Tampa." pic.twitter.com/aKdMwhWPq2

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 12, 2021