Jon Gruden calls on NFL to 'dump' Thursday night games

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden became the latest figure around the game to call for the dismantling of games being played on Thursday night.

Gruden said Monday on FOX Sports’ "Wake Up Barstool" that having a game on Thursday night is a disadvantage to players, and took a swipe at the slog that was the Denver Broncos’ 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at the beginning of the Week 10 slate.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Then-Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 18, 2021. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

"Let’s start with ’Thursday Night Football,’ man. What a treat it is," Gruden said facetiously. "No preparation, no time to recover, no chance. Get rid of these Thursday night games. Dump them. It’s not fair to the players, it’s not fair to the coaches. Who goes out and tries to perform at a high level with no preparation? Dump these games."

The Thursday night games have been scrutinized because of player safety. Most teams come off of a Sunday game and only have three days to rest and recover before going back onto the field.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in 2023 that he didn’t think the league was putting players in harm’s way with the games.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell looks on during a press conference at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 3, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana ahead of the NFL Super Bowl LIX football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

NFL FANS SKEWER BRONCOS-RAIDERS GAME AMID LISTLESS OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCES

"I don’t think we’re putting Amazon over our players. … The data doesn’t