Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera delivered a profanity-laced answer to a question implying that it was owner Dan Snyder – not Rivera – who orchestrated the trade for Carson Wentz in the offseason.
The comments came after Washington’s 12-7 win over the Chicago Bears on Thursday night. Wentz threw for 99 yards without a touchdown or interception in the low-scoring win over the Bears.
An ESPN investigative report earlier in the day that centered on Snyder said the owner wanted Wentz as a way to mask the issues within his organization.
Rivera’s blow-up also came at the end of a week in which he felt compelled to apologize to Wentz about his own comment about why the Commanders were 1-4.
“Everyone keeps on saying I wanted nothing to do with Carson,” Rivera said Thursday, denying it with a profanity. “I’m the (expletive deleted) guy that pulled out the sheets of paper and looked at the analytics and watched the tape in freaking Indianapolis, OK? And that’s what pisses me off. The young man doesn’t deserve to have that all the time.”
A source told ESPN that the trade for Wentz was “100 percent a Dan move,” which also would be problematic given that Snyder made an agreement with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to hand over operational control of the team to his wife, Tanya.
Rivera has said all along that he brought the idea of the trade to ownership.
Earlier this week, Rivera apologized to Wentz after suggesting the quarterback was the reason the team wasn’t leading the NFC East this season.
“I actually talked to Carson this morning,” Rivera said Tuesday. “In fact, I talked to the whole team. I had a mea culpa moment and that I should know better. I created a little bit of a distraction, and that’s one thing that I try not to do, and it’s one thing that I’m very aware of.”
–Field Level Media