The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have extended an olive branch to former head coach Jon Gruden by reinstating him into the team’s Ring of Honor. This signals a thawing of tensions between Gruden and the franchise. However, the NFL continues to distance itself from Gruden, maintaining its stance against him following his controversial exit from coaching in 2021.
NFL Airs America’s Game Marathon, But Two Controversial Episodes Remain Curiously Absent Again
In celebration of Independence Day, NFL Network aired a marathon of its America’s Game series. The program features one-hour documentaries on every Super Bowl-winning team, tracing the league’s championship history from the 1966 Green Bay Packers to the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs. The episode for the most recent champions, the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles, has yet to be released.
Jon Gruden (NFL)Despite being a comprehensive collection, the marathon continues to exclude two episodes — those focusing on the 2002 Buccaneers and the 1995 Cowboys. These omissions have been in place since 2022 and remain unexplained by the league, despite the growing curiosity of fans and media.
Controversy Keeps Two Super Bowl Episodes Missing From NFL’s Celebrated Documentary Series
The 2002 Buccaneers episode remains off-air due to its association with Jon Gruden, who was forced to resign from the Raiders in 2021 after offensive emails he sent years earlier were leaked. Gruden is currently suing the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell over the fallout.
Similarly, the 1995 Cowboys edition is omitted due to its narrator, Rich Dalrymple, who left the organization in 2022 after allegations of voyeurism, including a reported $2.4 million settlement over secret recordings of cheerleaders.
It remains to be seen whether the NFL will reintegrate the missing episodes into the America’s Game lineup in future broadcasts. For now, both episodes remain accessible through unofficial sources, but their absence from the official series continues to highlight the league’s selective storytelling and the lasting impact of controversy on legacy content.
