Cal Football: Ron Rivera Lowers the Boom on Spreaders of COVID Misinformation

`That’s frustrating to me, that these people are allowed to have a platform.'

More than a half-century after the Free Speech Movement took root on the Cal campus where he later became an All-American linebacker, Ron Rivera is having his say.

Rivera is beginning his second season as head coach of the NFL’s Washington Football Team. He somehow managed to help guide the team into the playoffs last year while undergoing seven weeks of debilitating treatments for squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.

He was declared cancer-free on Jan. 28, but that doesn’t mean it’s all free sailing for Rivera. Because cancer and its treatment left Rivera immune deficient, he is more vulnerable than most 59-year-olds to COVID-19.

In a wide-ranging interview with SI’s Albert Breer, Rivera discussed his frustration with people — even some on his team — who have declined to get vaccinated.

He expressed understandable outrage at the stream of misinformation being fed to so many folks who decline to buy into science.

Rivera told Breer a story about a Washington player who excitedly shared the news that he’d received his second round of the COVID vaccination.

“I said, Right on. He said, Had to, mama, new baby, got to, coach, gotta be careful for others. I said, That’s great, plus with that variant … He looked at me and said, What variant? I said, You know, the new delta variant, you know about that?”

But the player had no idea what his coach was talking about. When Rivera asked him if he watches the TV news, the player said no and showed his cell phone, suggesting that’s the source of all information he takes in.

“Gen Z is relying on this,” said Rivera, holding up his phone. “And you got some, quite frankly, f------ a-------, that are putting a bunch of misinformation out there, leading people to die. That’s frustrating to me, that these people are allowed to have a platform.

“And then, one specific news agency, every time they have someone on, I’m not a doctor, but the vaccines don’t work. Or, I’m not an epidemiologist, but vaccines are going to give you a third nipple and make you sterile. Come on. That, to me? That should not be allowed.”

Rivera, because of his health situation, was among the first groups to receive the vaccination early this year. He did not hesitate.

“There’s enough positive science out there, if they’re going to tell me that over 600,000 people have died and 99.9% are people that were not vaccinated, well, what about the .1%?" he said. "Well, that .1% are people that had underlying conditions—old age, something else. It’s not young, healthy people. So I don’t know why. And then they talk about all this distrust, well, if half the world wants it and can’t get it, what’s the problem with us? It frustrates me.”

Even though he is vaccinated, Rivera wears a mask virtually everywhere he goes.

“We’ve had a couple situations with players already testing positive for COVID, and that scares the hell out of me, because I interact with these guys,” Rivera said. “I’m close to these guys, and sometimes I forget to put my mask on for extra insurance. I know I’m vaccinated, and I know it’s going to keep me from getting deathly ill, but I can still get it. And who knows? So I have to be careful.”

He also has to speak out. He has been among the more vocal NFL head coaches on the topic of COVID and the ways folks can protect themselves and those around them.

“As a person, I’ve become a little more of an advocate on things,” he said.

His road to recovery continues. “When you go through something like this, they tell you it’s 12, 16, 18 months. It is. That’s what the recovery is. It takes a while,” said Rivera, who admits he must pace himself physically.

He still has tingling in his hands and feet. And acid reflux. Tightness in his neck, which he still can’t turn. He must do swallowing exercises.

But he continues to coach because he loves the job, he loves the game.

Washington won the NFC East last season with a 7-9 record after starting 2-7. He told Breer he’s coached better teams but not one with the resilience of the 2020 squad.

The playoffs ended quickly, with a first-round loss to Tampa Bay.

“Believe me, I would’ve loved to have beaten Tampa and kept going,” Rivera said. “And when we lost, it was a very emotional thing for me, because I knew I was different.

“I do look at things differently, I do appreciate things differently.”

Cover photo of Ron Rivera by Scott Taetsch, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo