After initially speaking out about his absence from the NFL since 2018, former punter Marquette King has now decided to take aim at former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
Marquette King on Gruden
Coming off a great season in 2017, King believed he was in good standings with the Raiders. That is, until then-general manager Reggie McKenzie told him he was being let go.
“As soon as I showed up, Reggie was telling me that Gruden doesn’t want me there,” King told 95.7 The Game. “We’re about to let you go, we’re gonna put you on the wire, and it’s gonna hit the news soon.”
What seemed to exacerbate this decision was that King never even got a chance to speak to Gruden.
“I never met the guy before. I never talked to him. I tried to reach out to Rich Bisaccia, he left me on read… Any time I get a new coach I try to reach out to him, get to know him, but I never got a chance to meet any of them. I never got a chance to talk to any of them. It was just the weirdest thing ever. It actually kind of hurt. It felt like a loss”
He went on to describe Oakland as “his home,” saying that he wished to be there for his entire career.
“Raiders felt like home. That was home. Staying in the bay was home. Wearing those colors, I couldn’t see myself wearing any other colors. I honestly should’ve took a year off. I was just so scarred from that, man. Feeling like somebody just has a motive behind just letting you go.”
Then came a proverbial dagger to the throat of Gruden:
“I honestly don’t understand. I think it was hate. That’s what I feel like. That’s the only way you can be like that towards somebody if you never met them. I don’t know, some people just got hate in their heart.”
The Aftermath
Marquette King spent a part of 2018 with the Denver Broncos after Jon Gruden chose to release him. He was placed on injured reserve in October of 2018 before reaching an injury settlement and being released. Since then, he has never been signed by another NFL team despite pretty significant punting statistics.
King’s comments certainly don’t bode well for the already-tarnished reputation Gruden has developed. Embroiled in a lawsuit against the NFL for the manner in which he was fired as head coach of the Raiders, it only adds to a complex image of anti-professionalism that makes the comments more relevant.
These comments very likely won’t change the situation for either party. Still, there’s likely some worth to transparency for those wishing to assess the bigger picture. Assuming, of course, these words can be taken at face value.