When Ron Rivera was hired to be the next head coach of the Washington Football Team, many thought of him as a life raft coming to help a struggling franchise stay afloat. Not only was he a great coach in Carolina, leading the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2015, but he also preached endless accountability and hard work, and his leadership skills seemed to be exactly what was needed in Washington. His main goal was not to win football games but to build a sustainable culture in Washington that could turn the franchise around. Wins would eventually come.
When interviewing for a job, it’s easy to say all of the right things, and Rivera’s words absolutely matched that. However, to get things done you need to walk the walk after talking the talk, and Rivera’s handling of the Derrius Guice situation this past weekend proved that he’s every bit as capable of doing that as well.
On Monday morning when discussing the situation with media members, Rivera stated that it was his decision to release Guice, who turned himself in to police after domestic violence allegations had come to light. It would fall on him if that move went the wrong way.
Choosing to get rid of your lead running back just weeks before the season starts is bold, but it was absolutely the right move in this situation. Not all coaches would have done it, though it’s easy to believe that any decision-maker would have said it’s the type of thing you do when interviewing for that job.
Rivera has had many chances to walk the walk after talking a bit talk earlier this year, and so far he’s charting a great path in Washington, which will hopefully veer towards success at some point down the road.
