The harrowing news broke on Thursday night that Ron Rivera, coach of the Washington Football Team, has been diagnosed with a ‘very treatable and curable’ form of lymph node cancer.
The news was broken by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reports that Rivera has been working with team doctors in Washington already, and that he plans to see different specialists to figure out a treatment plan going forward. While is is “business as usual” at the moment in Washington, there has also been a back-up plan put into place, should Rivera be forced to miss some time with the team.
After the news was out, Schefter reported that Rivera told him that the news of his cancer diagnosis was shocking and that it made him angry at first. When he told players in Washington on Thursday night, Schefter says that Rivera warned them not to make him angry, because he will likely be more cranky going forward.
Ron Rivera to ESPN on his reaction to the news that he had lymph node cancer: "I was stunned. But I was angry because I feel like I feel like I’m in best health I’ve been in."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2020
Ron Rivera told his team tonight that he had cancer. "Some were stunned. A bunch came up and wished me well. I said, 'I’m going to be a little more cranky, so don’t piss me off.' "
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2020
The good news is that the diagnosis seemingly came in the early stages, and Rivera should be able to tackle this challenge going forward. We are with everyone around the sporting world wishing Rivera a successful and safe recovery.
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