Ron Rivera got angry when he was asked about the report that he didn't pick the quarterback. The first part of the story is over.
Ron Rivera ended his news conference by walking off the podium after he defended his role in the acquisition of quarterbacks.
After Washington's 12-7 win over the Chicago Bears on Thursday, Rivera apologized and headed toward an exit door.
Rivera was upset about certain things during his news conference. He was angry about what his players had gone through over the last four games. He made the most heated comments about the player.
The owner of the team was said to be the one who wanted the player. Washington traded for another player.
Rivera denied that the owner wanted them to trade for the quarterback. Rivera had compiled a list of data that showed how effective Wentz was and had him on a list of desired quarterbacks. At the scouting combine in Indianapolis, he said they learned that Wentz was available. Two days after Rivera answered "quarterback" when asked the difference between his rebuilding team and the other three, the report came out. Rivera said that he meant that the teams had quarterbacks who had been with them a long time.
Rivera said that people keep saying that he didn't want anything to do with the man. When we were at Indianapolis, I pulled out the sheets of paper, looked at the data, and watched the tape. The young man does not deserve to have that all the time.
The news conference was over.
He said he appreciated Rivera's passion, even though he wasn't aware of the story.
He said, "Coach Rivera, he's great." Being able to play for him is even better because I've got a lot of respect for him. In this business, he speaks his mind and he will be direct and to the point. He's going to be very motivating and guys love that about him. Guys like him very much. I am thankful of him.
He had to answer questions about off-the-field stories. According to the article, owners don't like the guy.
Rivera is trying to get beyond the noise on the outside. The development of this team is what I am focused on. I don't want to talk about what I can't do. I don't have anything to do with that and I want to do everything in that room. I wish we could focus on that. We're going to stick to what's interesting and that's playing football.
Rivera gestured towards the locker room to emphasize his players during his news conference.
He said he would speak his mind for a moment. It's been difficult for the last couple of weeks, you lose four games in a row and everyone wants to get on you. They play their ass off for everyone. They show up and work hard. They don't whine. They have to deal with all the noise. I respect them for being resilient and coming back.
The game ball was given to Rivera by his players after they won their first game as a coach. He was a player for the Bears from 1984 to 1992 and has talked about how that affected his career as a coach. He said he got well-wishes from his former teammates before the game.
Terry McLaurin said that they all know what this place means to Rivera. A lot of the way he is as a coach is because of his time as a player. It was important for our team to come back and get a victory.
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