East Bay Raiders fans might want to think of it as a sign that coach Jon Gruden misses his old home.
Nope. Instead, Gruden said Thursday’s mix-up was the result of a prank that somebody else had played on him.
Gruden began Thursday’s game with the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas by wearing an Oakland Raiders cap, a boo-boo that did not escape numerous sleuths on social media.
The hat slip-up was quickly corrected, as Gruden soon was wearing a similarly styled Las Vegas Raiders cap.
“I will say I apologize for not having the right hat on,” Gruden said after the Raiders’ 30-27 overtime loss to the Chargers. “Somebody played a pretty good trick on me.”
Gruden coached the Oakland Raiders from 1998-2001 before he returned to the franchise and coached in Oakland in 2018 and 2019. The Raiders are in their first season in Las Vegas.
Gruden had a 49-47 record with the Raiders in Oakland, as his teams made the playoffs in 2000 and 2001. The Raiders are 7-6 this season, and were almost in a must-win situation Thursday if they wanted to remain in the hunt for a spot in the AFC playoffs, so chances are Gruden had other things on his mind when he first put on the Oakland cap.
Jon Gruden made a minor first-half wardrobe change pic.twitter.com/BOiGBRP2jr
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 18, 2020
Gruden with the Oakland Raiders hat on. 👀 pic.twitter.com/OLDYLcnuRn
— Kirk Morrison (@kirkmorrison) December 18, 2020
