Gruden's vulgar emails cc'd Tampa leaders

The intrigue: The emails were discovered in a workplace misconduct investigation into the Washington Football Team and include the coach's correspondence with Tampa Bay-area businessmen.

• In the exchanges, the New York Times reported, Gruden mostly traded vulgar comments with Bruce Allen, a longtime friend and pro football executive.

Yes, but: Some emails included local businessmen, including:

• Ed Droste, Hooters co-founder.
• Jim McVay, president and CEO of the Outback Bowl.
• Nick Reader, founder of Tampa-based PDQ Restaurants.
• In one 2015 email that copied Droste and McVay, Gruden crudely asked Allen to tell Bucs owner Bryan Glazer to perform oral sex on him.

Go deeper: In the emails, Gruden made racist remarks about a Black man’s physical appearance, denounced the drafting of a gay NFL player, criticized the league for hiring female refs, and bashed players protesting during the playing of the national anthem.

What they’re saying: "I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction," Gruden wrote in his resignation statement. "I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone."

Droste, McVay, and Reader did not respond to the Times’ requests for comment.