A fiery Ron Rivera refutes report he didn't want Carson Wentz originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Commanders won on Thursday night in Chicago, but head coach Ron Rivera was arguably more animated than he's ever been during his tenure in D.C. following the game.
After a handful of questions about the on-field play, one reporter informed Rivera of the comments play-by-play announcer Al Michaels made on the broadcast regarding his belief that the NFL wants Commanders owner Dan Snyder to sell the team.
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Rivera was then asked if Michael's comment, coupled with ESPN's long report about Snyder allegedly having "dirt" on fellow owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell, affected him throughout the day and during the game. Rivera had plenty to say back.
"The truth of the matter is it's not important to me. What's important to me are the guys in the room," an animated Rivera said. "That's been something I'm trying to establish. I'm trying to get beyond all this stuff on the outside that's noise as far as I'm concerned.
"There's a group of young men in there that deserve better," he continued. "They should be acknowledged for what they've done and what they're doing. ... We're going to stick to what's interesting and that's playing football for our guys."
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That was just the beginning.
"What's important is these guys. I'm going to speak my mind for a second," Rivera followed. "Honestly, it's been hard. It really has. You lose four games in a row and everyone wants to get on you. They've played their asses off. They really have. They've played their asses off for everybody. They come out, they show up, they work hard, they don't complain. They hear all of this stuff and they have to deal with it. I respect them for it because they're resilient and they come back."
Rivera then pivoted to a more specific topic: Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz. In ESPN's lengthy report Thursday morning, it was suggested that Washington's decision to acquire Wentz from Indianapolis this offseason was motivated by Snyder, rather than the head coach himself. ESPN's report on Rivera's alleged lack of want for Wentz comes just three weeks after the outlet reported Washington preferred San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo.
This is when Rivera really got fired up.
"Everybody keeps wanting to say I didn't want anything to do with Carson," Rivera said. "Well, bull----. I'm the [expletive] guy that pulled out the sheets of paper, that looked at the analytics, that watched the tape when we were in Indianapolis. That's what pisses me off because the young man doesn't deserve to have that all the time."
Rivera, who was standing at the podium, finished his rant with "I'm sorry, I'm done" before walking out of the room.
Minutes later, Wentz was asked about the report during his postgame press conference.
"I have no idea of what, quite frankly, is being reported, discussed or talked about," Wentz said. "I can't really have an opinion on it, anyway."
An eventful day for the Commanders' organization ended with a victory in Chicago. But, as it's been more often than not, the outside drama overshadowed the on-field play once again.
