CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Former Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera said in an interview with The Charlotte Observer on Friday he had "no regrets" about taking the job as head coach of Washington's NFL franchise, even though he said he also had "no idea" about the toxic culture of workplace misconduct inside the team's offices when he was hired.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that 15 women who previously worked for Washington's NFL team said they were sexually harassed from 2006-19 while employees of the club. The harassment and verbal abuse came from former scouts and some members of owner Daniel Snyder's inner circle, the Post reported.
"I had no idea about this stuff," Rivera said Friday in a brief interview we conducted through text messaging.
Given that the coach didn't know anything when he was hired about the issues detailed in the Post report _ and given the many other issues that have plagued Washington's NFL team before Rivera has even coached a single game there _ did he regret taking the Washington job?
"No regrets," Rivera texted. "I look forward to the challenge of improving a 3-13 team. I want to build a sustainable winning culture, in every facet."
Rivera coached the Panthers from 2011 until he was fired with four games left in the 2019 season. Well-respected and liked throughout the league, Rivera was widely considered the most eligible coaching free agent for any 2020 coaching vacancy.
But Rivera quickly signed what was reported as a five-year deal to coach Washington in early January, eschewing what could have been potential head-coaching opportunities with the Dallas Cowboys, N.Y. Giants and Cleveland Browns. His logic at the time?
"I knew that money was not an issue," Rivera texted. "They (Washington) are a very young team holding the 2nd pick of the draft. Salary cap (was) in a good position as well and ... I had time to fix things."
Rivera, though, didn't know all he was going to have to fix. He inherited an enormous mess.
It's not just the team. A new name and logo is coming soon, and Rivera is working on that issue, too.
It's also the workplace culture.
As a head coach, Rivera already has had to deal with the fallout of one explosive media report of sexual harassment involving a team that employed him. In 2017, Sports Illustrated detailed numerous instances of workplace misconduct, of both a sexual and racial nature, of then-Carolina owner Jerry Richardson.
Richardson, who founded the team, announced within hours of publication that he would sell it. But the NFL still investigated his behavior, found the SI report accurate and eventually fined Richardson $2.75 million _ nearly tripling the previous largest fine in league history. A statue of Richardson in front of Bank of America Stadium was recently removed and won't return, sources have told me.
Rivera was the Panthers' head coach throughout the Richardson scandal and often had to publicly answer questions about the investigation, since Richardson hasn't done a news conference in years.
