The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since Tom Brady led them there to win his record seventh Super Bowl. The Bucs have their new franchise quarterback, Baker Mayfield, but have yet to make a deep playoff run with him.
Still, the Bucs are interested in restoring their Super Bowl culture. Before Brady was brought in, the franchise won Super Bowl XXXVII under head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden was later inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor before being removed due to public backlash following the leaking of insensitive emails that Gruden had sent.
Now, Tampa Bay has elected to bring Gruden back into the fold.
“Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor based on his many accomplishments during his seven seasons as our head coach and he remains a significant figure in the history of our franchise,” the team said in a statement from their official Twitter account.
“Upon further reflection, we have decided to reinstate him into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.”
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) February 27, 2025
Fans reacted to the news on social media.
“Glad the Bucs made it right in the end but Gruden deserves a lot of apologies, especially from NFL leadership,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“I’m throwing up, this negates everything Jackie Robinson & MLK Jr. ever did. Great job losers,” another fan added.
“hes getting removed in 5 years when woke is back,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see if Gruden ever coaches in the NFL again.
