More than 24 years have passed, but Jon Gruden still has not moved on from the game that ended his first stint with the Oakland Raiders.
The former head coach recently revisited the unforgettable 2002 AFC Divisional Playoff against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, where Oakland fell 16-13 in overtime after the controversial Tuck Rule decision. Even now, Gruden believes that moment remains one of the NFL’s biggest officiating mistakes.
Jon Gruden Is Still Upset About 24-Years-Old Tuck Rule Decision against Tom Brady’s Patriots
Speaking with Cam Heyward on the “Not Just Football” podcast, Gruden called the Tuck Rule decision the “worst call in history” and admitted the play still bothers him every time it comes up.
“That was the worst call in history,” Gruden said on the podcast. “As you know, instant replay is supposed to overturn a call that’s completely obvious. You know, that play was ruled a fumble on the field. There’s no way you overturn that rule.”
For Gruden, the controversy only grew larger after the NFL eventually removed the rule altogether (on March 20, 2013).
“And now the tuck rule is abolished. There’s no such thing as a tuck rule,” he added.
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The controversial sequence happened with less than two minutes left in regulation, and the silver and black were protecting a 13-10 lead.
Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson hit Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, forcing the ball loose. Linebacker Greg Biekert quickly recovered what appeared to be a game-sealing fumble, and Raider Nation believed the contest was over.
Instead, referee Walt Coleman reviewed the play and ruled that Brady had been pulling the ball back toward his body. Under the NFL’s Tuck Rule at the time, the play became an incomplete pass rather than a fumble. So, the Patriots kept the drive alive in snowy conditions.
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Soon after, Adam Vinatieri drilled a 45-yard field goal to level the score at 13-13 before adding a 23-yard kick in overtime. That sequence sealed New England’s dramatic playoff victory over Gruden.
That painful playoff defeat closed Gruden’s first chapter with the Raiders. Shortly after the season, the franchise traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I got traded a couple of weeks after that game,” Gruden added on the podcast. “Eric Allen, who just went into the Hall of Fame, that was the last game he ever played. Steve Wisniewski, nine-time Pro Bowl guard. That’s the last game he ever played. So that game has a real bitter memory in my mind, and now that you bring it up, it still (expletive) me off quite a bit.”
Meanwhile, the Patriots rode that momentum all the way to a Super Bowl XXXVI title, and Brady’s victory became the foundation of one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history
