Ahead of John Gruden’s second stint with the Oakland Raiders, the head coach of the Raider Nation doubled down as to why club elected to trade one of the best defensive players in all of football.
After witnessing Khalil Mack’s dominant first-half performance against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, Gruden spoke with Lisa Salters of ESPN’s Monday Night Football saying that Mack didn’t want to be in Oakland, hence why the Raiders moved him to the Chicago Bears for draft picks.
“Obviously, Khalil Mack didn’t want to play here. That’s what’s being missed here. He was under contract, Lisa, you know, he was under contract. He never showed up for an OTA. He never showed up for training camp, and it was obvious he wasn’t going to show up for the season. So, don’t forget that. We have to get ready to play, and I want players that want to be here, that want to help us put this thing back in high gear.”
That’s quite the stance for Gruden to blame the player who went full beast mode with three combined tackles, sack, forced fumble and an interception in his Bears’ debut.
Gruden said they the Raiders couldn’t fetch up the $141 million Mack received from Chicago, which lead to a ton of criticism online after the organization handed Gruden a ten-year, $100 million.
Back in May, Gruden told ESPN that “one of the big reasons I came here (to Oakland) was to coach that man (Mack).”
Did Mack never want to play in Oakland, or did he just want a new contract?
Whatever you think, the Raiders will be a far worse defensive team without the 2016 AP Defensive Player of the Year.
