Former NFL coach Jon Gruden made an unexpected appearance at a Republican rally in Vandalia, Ohio, endorsing incumbent junior Sen. Jon Husted before President Donald Trump took the stage.
After Gruden addressed the crowd, Trump highlighted the Super Bowl-winning coach, saying, “We even have one of my favorite coaches in the whole world here, Jon Gruden.”
Trump and Gruden have already spent time together, including at least one round of golf in 2025, along with any other occasions they may have shared.
“He’s a great coach and he’s a very good golfer too,” Trump said. “Right, Jon? We had a great time. He’s a great winner. He’s a winner.”
Trump, 80, received a warm response from his supporters, although his speech drew a noticeably more restrained reaction than Gruden’s fiery address.
“I came back for one reason,” Gruden told the crowd. “I’m from Ohio. My mom and dad are from Cleveland. I was born in Sandusky and I went to the University of Dayton and I’m damn proud of it, man!”
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, from left, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Jon Gruden applaud as President Donald Trump speaks during an event at Butler High School in Vandalia
President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event at Butler High School on Saturday
The audience at Butler High School, just north of Dayton, responded with loud cheers.
Gruden praised Husted, a former standout at Montpelier High School, as more than simply a friend. “Jon Husted is a lot more than my friend; he was a great player,” Gruden said. “He intercepted 17 passes on the gridiron. He was a great player. And I know why he was a great player. It was because of his work ethic and his commitment and his day-to-day mental toughness. He will never quit on you or anybody.”
The remarks prompted another wave of enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
“Let’s hear it for Husted,” Gruden urged.
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Husted, a longtime conservative who has drawn criticism over his shifting position on Trump’s controversial tariffs, is facing populist Democrat Sherrod Brown in a closely watched U.S. Senate contest.
With the November 3 election approaching, Gruden urged supporters to vote for Husted and persuade others to join them.
“Before you know it, this election is over,” Gruden said. “But what we got to do is we got to do our part. Early voting starts Tuesday. Can we be there or not? Let’s be there! And I know you guys got a lot more friends than I do. Get your friends and get their friends and their friends and let’s get Husted back in action! Let’s go! Let’s go!”
Recent polls show Brown with an advantage over Husted, generally by between 3 and 4 percentage points.
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (left) was also on hand
Trump described Gruden as a skilled golfer and a “winner,” repeating the word several times
Gruden’s conservative political views have gradually become more widely known over the years.
During his first stint with the Oakland Raiders and his Super Bowl-winning run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gruden generally avoided political commentary. He followed a similar approach while working for ESPN from 2009 through 2018.
What wasn’t known at the time was Gruden’s disdain for top Democrats like President Barack Obama and his Vice President, Joe Biden.
It wasn’t until after Gruden’s 2018 return to the Raiders that these beliefs were leaked to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal in a series of emails he’d sent to Washington Redskins executive Bruce Allen, the brother of Republican former Virginia Governor and Senator, George Allen.
When those emails did surface in 2021, they also contained Gruden’s racist comments about then-NFL union chief DeMaurice Smith, who is black, as well as homophobic attacks on commissioner Roger Goodell.
Although Gruden would ultimately step down as Raiders coach, he later sued the NFL and Goodell for $150 million, claiming the league leaked the emails to the Times and Journal. A league spokesman has denied the claim and a jury trial is scheduled to begin in May of 2027.
