ASHBURN, Va. (AP) β The Washington Commanders fired coach Ron Rivera on Monday, the first move of many expected by new owners as they put their stamp on the NFL franchise they bought last year.
The decision came a day after the Commanders’Β season-ending 38-10 home lossΒ to division-rival Dallas.
βAs we look ahead, we recognize the results this season were not good enough and a strategic shift in leadership and approach is necessary,” controlling owner Josh Harris said in a statement.
Harris said he has asked co-owners Mitch Rales, Magic Johnson and David Blitzer as well as former NBA executive Bob Myers and ex-Minnesota GM Rick Spielman to work with him in the searches for a head of football personnel and coach. After Dan Snyder four years ago hired Rivera to do both jobs, ownership is now splitting those responsibilities.
Myers served as president of basketball operations and GM of the Golden State Warriors as they won four championships, and he was named the leagueβs executive of the year twice.
General manager Martin Mayhew and a majority of the front office and coaching staff are also expected to go, as Harris and his fellow owners begin shaping the organization less than six months after buying the team from Snyder.
Washington made one playoff appearance, winning an uncharacteristically weak NFC East at 7-9 in 2020, during Riveraβs four seasons in charge of Washingtonβs football operations. He never had a winning season.
If Rivera does not get another head job in the league, heβll finish exactly one game under .500 at 102-103-2 in the regular season. Washington was 26-40-1 with Rivera in charge.
Rivera was hiredΒ by Snyder on New Yearβs Day 2020, less than a month after the veteran coach was fired by the Carolina Panthers, who he coached to the Super Bowl in the 2015 season. He was handed control in the aftermath of a chaotic era led by president Bruce Allen, which also included plenty of off-field misconduct that Rivera was forced to answer for as the voice of the organization.
βRon helped navigate this organization through some challenging times,β Harris said. βHe is a good man and a thoughtful leader who has positively contributed to this organization and the NFL.β
Tumultuous times were the norm, fromΒ two team name changesΒ to the allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace before Riveraβs arrival coming to light in the summer of 2020.Β Rivera was diagnosed with a form of skin cancerΒ before that season started, and the well-respected former linebackerΒ working through treatmentΒ became a source of inspiration for Washington when it made the playoffs.
Away from the practice facility, Snyder became the subject of multiple investigations before selling the team last year to Harrisβ groupΒ for a record $6.05 billion.
Harris, Rales,Β JohnsonΒ and others buying the team put the focus back on football, to Riveraβs delight. Early in the season, he reveled in aΒ debate about the teamβs long snapperΒ as a turning point after years of talk about the sagging attendance, off-field chaos and the ownership change.
Rivera, even on his way out the door, had nothing but good things to say about Harris and Co.
βWhat Mr. Harris is doing with this group of investors, coming in and really spending the time, the effort, the money to do things the right way, thatβs one of the pluses and one of the positives,β Rivera said. βThis ownership group is just as passionate as this fanbase. They want to win. And thatβs something that was always made clear to me and one thing that Mr. Harris has always stood by, and so Iβve got a lot of respect for that.β
Along the way, the play on the field went south after a 2-0 start: aΒ 37-3 drubbingΒ by Buffalo beginning a three-game skid capped by anΒ embarrassing prime-time home lossΒ to previouslyΒ winless Chicago. The season snowballed to several new low points: aΒ 31-19 defeatΒ at the hands ofΒ undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVitoΒ and the New York Giants, aΒ 45-10 drubbing at DallasΒ and anΒ embarrassing home loss to MiamiΒ that was fittingly followed byΒ fire alarms going offΒ around the stadium.
It became clear the Commanders were playing out the string. They lost their final eight games to finish 4-13 and areΒ set to pick secondΒ in the NFL draft, a spot they could get a franchise quarterback.
Someone else other than Rivera will make that selection, withΒ Harris expected to split personnel and head-coaching duties.
Asked what heβs proudest of from his time in Washington, Rivera cited team culture and otherwise tried to block out talk about his uncertain future.
βTo me itβs always been exciting, a thrill and a honor to be on the field in the NFL,β Rivera said last Tuesday. βThereβs only 32 of these jobs, thereβs only 32 of these teams and you always appreciate that opportunity.β
Players lauded his conduct throughout his final season, with receiver Terry McLaurin saying Rivera never brought a bad attitude and defensive tackle Daron Payne praising the coachβs optimism.
βIt was a true honor to play for him,β offensive lineman Sam Cosmi said. βHe really cared about us.β
