Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden reportedly had every opportunity to inform his team of the Amari Cooper trade on Monday, but declined to do so.
Cooper was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, a somewhat surprising yet rumored move. The trade came when the team was together for Monday’s practice, and Cooper was apparently pulled off the field once the trade was made.
Oakland players saw this and may have figured that something was up. However, for whatever reason, Gruden said nothing about the deal either during or after practice, leaving players to find out by checking their phones.
Jon Gruden has yet to address WR Amari Cooper’s trade with team. Didn’t mention it during practice or in his address afterward. Expected to do so Wednesday morning at next team meeting. Some players saw Cooper be pulled off field. Didn’t know until checked phones in locker room.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 22, 2018
This is baffling. The trade has already been officially completed, and is a clear sign that the Raiders are punting on the season, yet Gruden won’t even bring it up with the team until Wednesday. It is another example of Gruden’s unusual management strategy, and it’s hard to see players being comfortable with finding out about a key teammate being dealt by checking social media.
