The Washington Commanders get very few things right as a franchise. Under owner Dan Snyder’s stewardship, the organization has generally been a fetid, toxic swamp behind the scenes and an underperforming mess on the field. In two-plus decades at the helm, Snyder has one more playoff win (two) than Congressional investigations into his workplace culture.
One of the things Synder appears to have gotten right is hiring head coach Ron Rivera. Rivera was forced out of Carolina after a couple lean years and new ownership His unemployment was brief, and in three seasons he’s turned an undermanned roster into the 2020 NFC East champions and has this year’s team in line for a playoff spot despite upheaval at the quarterback position.
Rivera isn’t just winning because he’s good with Xs and Os. He also builds meaningful relationships with players and coaches them into a unit greater than the sum of its parts. Those bonds were on full, heartwarming display as Rivera called his four Pro Bowl invitees into his office, one by one, and personally told them the news that their hard work had officially been recognized.
That meant stars like Jonathan Allen and Terry McLaurin got the accolades they’d expected. It also meant surprising punter Tress Way and special teams standout Jeremy Reaves in the best possible way.
get your tissues ready 🥹
watch @RiverboatRonHC tell the guys they made the Pro Bowl pic.twitter.com/7rpj99EIkZ
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 22, 2022
For Reaves, an undrafted free agent out of South Alabama in 2018, Rivera’s handshake was the culmination of five years of hard work. While the defensive back has been useful in the secondary, his versatility on special teams shined enough to be voted into the NFL’s all-star exhibition by his peers and the fans. And if the happy tears weren’t enough to show the bond between player and coach, Reaves summed up his feelings toward the end of the video.
“I told you I’d run through a brick wall for you.”
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