Brian Mitchell credits Ron Rivera for handling of allegations against former Washington execs

When reports surfaced this past weekend that two of Washington's top personnel men -- Alex Santos and Richard Mann II -- were let go, reasons behind the moves were unknown. Now, those questions seem to have an answer after news broke Thursday that Santos and Mann were among former executives alleged of sexual misconduct by 15 women in a Washington Post story.

Shortly after the story released, Washington head coach Ron Rivera told ESPN's John Keim that he "sure as hell [is] not going to allow any of this!" under his watch.

Former Washington running back and NBC Sports Washington analyst Brian Mitchell commended the head coach for how he's handled the situation, saying Rivera has taken these allegations towards former staffers "very seriously."

"When you look at it, everybody that was involved is no longer there," Mitchell said. "Ron Rivera and his staff seem to be moving forward doing the right things, exactly what you want to happen."

By the time the Post's story released Thursday afternoon, none of the five alleged of misconduct remained with the organization. Santos and Mann were let go earlier this week, while the longtime voice of the team, Larry Michael, abruptly retired Wednesday. Former business executives Mitch Gershman and Dennis Green left the team in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

Since Rivera took over as the team's head coach in early January, he's repeatedly talked about changing the culture in Ashburn. In the months since, he hasn't shied away from moving on from players that didn't want to buy-in to his long-term vision, shipping both Trent Williams and Quinton Dunbar out of town this offseason. Additionally, Rivera made the decision to cut Montae Nicholson, an undisciplined safety on the field with a lot of baggage off of it.

For Mitchell, the head coach's decision to get rid of Santos and Mann was another step in the right direction in changing the culture.

"I believe you can't go silent on this. You have to address it, and somebody has to come out and give you a plan as to what's going to happen in the future," Mitchell said. "Ron Rivera came in and said he wants to change the culture, and I believe that culture was not just on the football field, it was about off the field, too. So when you see people immediately out of the building because something like this came up, you have to give him credit for what he's doing."

Between the pandemic, the team's eventual name change, and now harassment allegations towards former staffers, Rivera has been through plenty in his first seven months on the job. Mitchell is impressed with how the head coach has handled everything that's been thrown at him this offseason.

"Allow Ron to do what he's been doing," Mitchell said. "People are talking about 'He just got here,' well, he got here. He's got more accomplished in the short time he's been here than the guys that have been around."

To conclude, Mitchell said hiring a head coach in Rivera, someone who didn't have previous ties with the franchise prior to coming to Washington, is what the organization needed to turn the culture around.

"Maybe, just maybe what we needed was somebody who was not involved and close-knit with this franchise, and they will see things in a different light," Mitchell said.

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