The Hog Sty Bids Farewell to Ron Rivera

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January 10, 2024

by David Earl

Farewell Ron Rivera

The negativity around Ron Rivera for most of the season, plus what’s coming in the next few days, came in many ways, but this is not that column. Today I’d like to talk about the man Ron Rivera and what has truly defined him as a person. Let’s not start with the obvious toxicity of an owner Dan Snyder was but how he held a locker room together during their improbable playoff run in 2020.

Balancing Team and Cancer: In August 2020, Rivera announced to the team he had been diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cancer. Thankfully, unlike Vince Lombardi, who was diagnosed with late stage colon cancer, the cancer was found early. This cancer attacks the epidermis layer of your skin and, if left untreated, could have spread throughout his body to dangerous levels. A spreading is referred to as metastasis and can cause permanent damage to the skin, and can also be fatal. Imagine following the recent off-field issues, the name change, and then this news all before heading into the regular season. Let’s not forget the COVID breakout that season, which only added to the risk factors of his cancer diagnosis. With all these factors in place, it would have been understandable if Rivera had taken a leave of absence, but he stood tall managing his treatments and the team. Despite the treatments, the serious nature of COVID, and the scandals of Dan Snyder, the team managed to win the division and make a strong showing against the inevitable Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay. He held the locker room together all season and, regardless of the record, may have had arguably one of the best coaching seasons of his career.

Pathway For Women: Rivera has been a big proponent of helping to pave the way for women in coaching, and it goes beyond his hiring of Jennifer King. Going as far back as 2017, when he first met King, he was an integral part of Women’s Careers in Football Forum, which was created to encourage women’s careers in coaching football and breaking the barriers in a male-dominated field. Rivera is not wrong in saying, “We’re in a production-based business. It’s all about winning, and we’ve got to create that opportunity to win. It doesn’t matter who you are – if you bring something special to the table and help us, we most certainly want you.” Football IQ is not exclusive to men although some may believe the opposite to be true. Women like King, who does have some professional level of playing football, certainly add value to a coaching staff. Through this program and the proper maturation process for these women, there could be high-level coaching positions held by women and eventually a head coaching position. Through mentors in the business like Rivera, women are being given serious opportunities.  It will be up to women like King to embrace each opportunity and move towards potential success.

Family and Career: Rivera has used his Philippino heritage and “learned a lot from watching how Palma (grandfather) handled himself, especially by how he always was available for his family, despite the physical demands of his job.” As many old-school Washington Redskins fans know, through the actions of Joe Gibbs and the time he spent on football, coaching in the NFL is a daunting job that takes a toll on the families involved. Rivera has made it a point to not allow the rigors of NFL coaching to overwhelm his family structure. It was very important to maintain high family values while having a high level of work ethic on and off the field which was certainly noticed especially during the advercity of the 2020 season. Whether you are a fan of his as a head coach, how he balanced life as an NFL coach compounded by the toxicity of a Dan Snyder ownership with family is admirable and an inspiration for many he influences.

Toxic Ownership No Problem: The win-loss record is the ultimate deciding factor of a coach’s career but working under Dan Snyder added a bit of a unique dynamic. There are poorly run teams in the league, and some are caught in a never-ending mess of mismanagement, but Dan Snyder was exponentially worse by all accounts. To see a more detailed history of his ownership read here, but Rivera witnessed the better part of 3 incompetently-managed decades culminate into a volatile and abusive condition at Washington team facilities. Under fierce scrutiny by the media that began before the 2020 season and bled into the season itself, what Rivera achieved as a coach and spokesman for the team on the national stage was truly remarkable. Even though the team’s 7-9 record wasn’t anything special, how they took the eventual champions to the wire after the conditions created by Snyder’s toxicity should garner some positive and inspirational attention. In fact, many fans saw that season as a potential positive leaping point for the next season and the future of this organization despite the owner.

Final Words

Yes, I have been one of the more critical fans of Rivera’s time in DC, but I have also always made it a point to separate my views between Ron the head coach, and Ron the man. Too often we all get caught up in the game itself, and the moment will certainly consume our every emotion and create reactions toward the person beyond the game. There are not many fans in the league who had to endure the nearly 3-decade run of ineptitude which saw one of the league’s more storied franchises crumble to its foundation. Unfortunately, Rivera caught the brunt of that frustration over the last few years, whether fair or not. What is not fair is any personal attacks or hatred towards the man Ron Rivera.

As he is relieved of his duties as general manager and head coach for Washington, consider the man as a whole, not just the head coach. Remember the upstanding person Ron Rivera has been and the inspiration he is to so many. There will be plenty of time to analyze his time here running the organization but, right now, let’s appreciate the man who overcame far more than any coach in the league. Through the toxic circumstances early on he kept a strong locker room even during his own personal trials in life. Rivera motivated and inspired those around him even while dealing with negative attention as a result of prior ownership. This is not an excuse for him; just takie a moment to appreciate the person himself and his selfless actions more time than not. Best wishes to you, Ron, and Happy belated birthday.