After Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera cleared the locker room of everybody except for coaches and players.
He spoke at length about his appreciation for the team, and how they kept him going during his battle with cancer three years ago.
He sensed what was made official in a Monday morning meeting — Rivera will no longer coach the Commanders, having been fired by new owner Josh Harris.
“My life has always been football and it is a wonderful life,” Rivera said in a statement.
He added: “We did win an NFC East title in 2020, but we fell short since then and for that, I am truly disappointed. You are loyal, passionate fans and I only see good things ahead for you all.”
Rivera was the team’s coach for four years, during which time the Commanders made one playoff appearance but never had a winning record. He oversaw one of the most tumultuous periods in franchise history, as the Redskins became the Washington Football Team, and then the Commanders, and ownership switched from Dan Snyder to Harris as Snyder was investigated by Congress after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct in the team’s workplace.
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He handled all that while working through the NFL’s COVID-19 season and his own personal battle with cancer.
Players said they’ll remember Rivera as a coach who had their best interests at heart.
“It was a true honor to play for him,” offensive lineman Sam Cosmi said. “He’s very personable and really cares about us. I really appreciate the opportunity he gave me by drafting me.”
Running back Antonio Gibson echoed those sentiments on Sunday after a loss to the Cowboys.
“Great coach, man, a player’s coach,” Gibson said. “To be with him through his toughest times, and see how he overcame, and how he was still there for us, that’s much respect, and that’s something you can’t forget about.”
Rivera turned 62 on Sunday, and faces an uncertain future if he wants to remain in coaching. He is known for his defensive work, both with the Panthers, who he took to the Super Bowl, and as a player on the famed Chicago Bears defenses of the 80s.
On Friday, Rivera cited the Super Bowl as a highlight of his coaching tenure.
“You want to be able to say you won,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate, reflecting on what I’ve done as a coach, in terms of getting a team to a Super Bowl. That’s a pretty big deal.”
The team’s final record under Rivera is 26-40-1.
His dismissal means that none of the coaches hired during Dan Snyder’s ownership tenure have left with a winning record, a collection of distinguished names that includes Rivera, Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, Mike Shanahan and Joe Gibbs.
Not one ultimately could overcome the dysfunction that plagued the franchise under Snyder.
Early last week, Rivera said he believes he’s been successful at transforming the culture of the building, work that started when he was hired and has continued through the ownership change.
“I managed for three-and-a-half years,” Rivera said Friday, noting that he saw himself less as a coach and more as a manager who oversaw the team and its coaches. He delegated and gave broad authority to his coordinators.
The final half-year was this season, after the firing of defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, when Rivera took over the day-to-day work of the franchise. He said going back to working with the players and making game plans made him realize how much he missed that work, though he said the situation in Ashburn made that largely impossible for him to do at the start of his tenure.
“That was really what I felt I was always fighting, was trying to keep the players as the focus,” he said, noting the many off-the-field reports and controversies that swirled around the franchise.
The Commanders go into their first coaching search of the Harris era with a top draft pick and the opportunity to reset a team that is seeking to reclaim glory years.
Defensive tackle Daron Payne, who is likely to be a cornerstone of any future rebuilding efforts, said that every offseason in the NFL brings hope, but particularly this one given the high draft pick.
“I mean, shoot, you see it around the NFL, man,” Payne said. “Just last year, the Houston Texans, they were horrible. Now look at them. They’re a playoff team. All it takes is a couple pieces. A couple pieces, a couple good players, just start a run.”
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