Ron Rivera Tackles COVID-19, BLM & The Name Game Before Coaching One Practice

Training camp is officially underway! Sort of.

In normal years, we would be in Richmond, Virginia right now kicking off the long grind of the NFL season in searing heat and humidity.

As we know, 2020 is anything but normal and the Washington Football Team has made it even more chaotic. Something that is hard to imagine based on the last 20+ years under Dan Snyder's ownership.

Ron Rivera arrived in Washington in early January to salvage the Titanic and install his "Culture Club" and nobody thought it would be an easy task.

It's far from done and it may never be completed but the process is underway.

The unfortunate part for Rivera is while trying to save a sinking ship - he's also had to fend off enemy-fire from many different angles and handle it all while largely leading the front office by himself.

Scott Abraham of WJLA ABC-7 in Washington asked Rivera about having to deal with so much in his first seven months on the job.

WATCH - "This hasn't dampened my spirits or my approach to this organization. I feel confident what we can do here"

I asked @WashingtonNFL head coach Ron Rivera how difficult these last couple months have been on him emotionally.

More tonight on @ABC7News @KgriggsPhoto pic.twitter.com/Mjx4HENNm3
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) July 28, 2020

I thought Rivera as usual gave a honest, transparent and thoughtful answer which is why he has a chance to clean up the awful culture that has infested the organization for longer than most realized.

Rivera in-part said "the name change wasn't as difficult" but that the Black Lives Matter movement and the organization's response was "difficult."

"For me emotionally.....It hasn't dampened my spirit and my approach," Rivera told Abraham and other reporters.

Chris Russell is the Publisher of this site, a part of SI.com. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621