Jon Gruden wrote a racist email about De Smith. What did the now former NFLPA boss do when the coach reached out?

That and more from Smith's hold no punches book

When I wrote for Awful Announcing https://awfulannouncing.com/nfl/demaurice-smith-book-roger-goodell-aaron-rodgers-kirk-coursins-turf-wars.html last week a quick review of former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith’s account in “Turf Wars: The Fight For The Soul of America’s Game,” due out next month, of his 14 year tenure, other outlets https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2025/07/06/demaurice-smith-book-roger-goodell-aaron-rodgers/84484061007/ were very interested in what Smith wrote about Aaron Rodgers.

He described the sure-fire Hall of Famer as “isolated and dismissive” and Smith would prefer running into traffic then responding to a text from him. I didn’t include everything (I was trying to keep the review to 1,000 words) so I am summarizing below other beefs Smith airs on Rodgers. As well, I will be including other material from the barnburner of a book that I highly encourage buying (here’s a link to pre-order https://www.amazon.com/Turf-Wars-Fight-Soul-Americas/dp/0593729420/ref=asc_df_0593729420?mcid=3211efda5c433c618e08a2739e9a6c48&hvocijid=12618297020502464371-0593729420-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12618297020502464371&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004077&hvtargid=pla-2281435177338&psc=1), including what Smith did when Jon Gruden called him after the head coach’s racist description of Smith in an email was leaked; what he thought of three black NFL media personalities’ response to the Gruden email; what he declined in his first meeting with Roger Goodell; why he thinks the Commissioner has his father’s famous Congressional speech hanging on his NFL office’s wall; and other tidbits.

Smith attacks a few players in Turf Wars, from Russell Okung to Kirk Cousins. But it is Rodgers who really draws his ire, almost if not equal to his disdain for owners. Smith recalls a collective bargaining agreement negotiation in 2020 just after the NFL Combine attended by players including Rodgers at a moment when the CBA was all but done. Smith wrote he was trying to rush to get it done as the Covid pandemic loomed.