Rivera left after practice on Thursday and had Del Rio speak to the media, who said that the HC is battling with treatment.
Jack Del Rio on Ron Rivera: "He wasn't feeling well. When he's not here, I step in. … I was able to have a conversation with him about the roster and game-planning prior to him exiting."
Del Rio on Rivera: "He's battling right now. He's tough as can be and doing what he can. And as coaches and players, we have to do everything we can to carry on the message."
Washington head coach Ron Rivera missed Wednesday’s practice to receive treatment for his lymph node cancer, which was diagnosed right before the season. On Thursday, he was at practice, but left shortly after, leaving DC Jack Del Rio to speak to the media in his absence.
According to Del Rio, who has been filling in as the head man when Rivera is absent, the HC is battling right now, and not feeling very well because of it.
“He’s tough as can be and doing what he can,” Del Rio said. “And as coaches and players, we have to do everything we can to carry on the message.”
Jack Del Rio when asked if Ron Rivera is expected to coach Sunday: "I'm prepared at any point to step in, even in the middle of the game if it were to happen. But it's my understanding that he will be ready to go."
As the season goes on, Rivera’s well-being will be something to watch, as he continues his fight against cancer, while also working to get his team ready each and every week.
We’re supporting you every step of the way, coach. Keep fighting, and let your guys pick up the slack when you need them to.
New Orleans Saints leaders Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis wished Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera well after his cancer diagnosis
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The NFL was shaken late Thursday evening when Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera announced that he was diagnosed with lymph node cancer, which he described to ESPN’s Adam Schefter as “very treatable and curable.” Rivera, 58, is optimistic that treatment won’t keep him away from football for very long.
Nevertheless, it’s a very serious situation for Rivera’s personal health. And several team leaders of the New Orleans Saints, defensive end Cameron Jordan and linebacker Demario Davis, are sending their best wishes to their longtime rival in the NFC South:
While Rivera is busy building the Washington Football Team from the ground up, his impact on the NFC South can’t be forgotten. The Saints clearly have a healthy respect for what he accomplished.
Rivera’s Carolina Panthers gave the Saints more trouble than any other regime since Sean Payton was hired to run the show in New Orleans. His Panthers teams won the division title three years in a row from 2013 to 2015, and his winning percentage is one of the best among coaches to lead multiple seasons in the NFC South since 2006:
It is a new week and as we inch towards the return of college football down here in the SEC there is plenty going on around the sports world
It is a new week and as we inch towards the return of college football down here in the Southeastern Conference, there is plenty going on around the sports world to report on.
Leading off, tonight the SEC will announce its official 2020 football schedule tonight at 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The league appears to be moving forward strong towards fall competition and releasing the schedule now is sure to please a plethora of fans.
Not everyone will be playing if/when the season starts, however, as Ole Miss senior center Eli Johnson announced he is opting out of the 2020 college football season, whose father was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator after being infected with the novel coronavirus back in March.
There is sad news in the Gator Nation, as former wide receiver and current Florida International assistant coach Aubrey Hill has passed away after a long bout with cancer. He was 48 years old.
Should Penn State fans cheer for Florida Gators football this season?: Mike Griffith, a Georgia writer and Heisman voter, put out his list of teams Big Ten fans should adopt, and notably, he thinks fans of the Penn State Nittany Lions should be cheering for the Gators this fall.
After battling tumors on her brain and spine, Mia Villegas, the 22-month-old daughter of PGA Tour player Camilo Villegas, passed away.
After battling tumors on her brain and spine for the past six months, Mia Villegas, the 22-month-old daughter of PGA Tour player Camilo Villegas, passed away on Sunday, according to the PGA Tour.
Villegas, 38, revealed his daughter’s health battle in June before the start of the Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass. Villegas and his wife, Maria, had noticed their daughter was not acting like herself in February while Camilo was playing the Honda Classic. Mia had stopped climbing and playing during her frequent trips to the gym with her dad and was crying more at night.
Initially, Camilo and Maria thought the change in behavior had to do with Mia teething. Scans at the Nicklaus Children’s Hopsital in Miami on March 14 revealed the tumors. Mía underwent surgery, but Camilo and Maria were told that persisting issues would require more treatment.
“After the surgery, when it was time to remove the stitches, they learned the growth had become pretty aggressive,” he told the PGA Tour. “We were told we needed to start treatment right away, so they kept us there. Physically, though, she wasn’t ready to get the kind of chemo doctors were hoping for.”
Mia was Camilo and Maria’s only child.
Villegas finished T-33 at the Korn Ferry Challenge and has not teed it up in competition since. Villegas is playing on a medical extension and has 13 PGA Tour starts left. He made his lone start on the Tour at the Honda Classic and missed the cut.
Sports fans took to Twitter to tweet support for former Broncos running back Floyd Little.
Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little has been diagnosed with a “treatable but aggressive form of cancer,” former college football teammate Pat Killorin told Nate Mink of Syracuse.com.
Killorin started a GoFundMe page to help pay for Little’s medical expenses. As of Sunday morning, the page has raised almost $13,000.
“Floyd has a wide community of support who expressed the desire to support him in prayer and in the expense of his cancer treatment,” Killorin wrote on the GoFundMe page. “So we created this Friends of Floyd (‘FOF’) Page with the permission of the Little Family to receive words of encouragement and to solicit funds to offset the financial burden this journey will take on Floyd and his family. We believe the last thing we want our friend Floyd to do is to worry about this expense or to give up in order to avoid it.”
Broncos fans, Syracuse alumni, media members and coaches shared messages of support for Little on Twitter.
Broncos Country Unite In Orange We Have To Support Floyd Little To Beat Cancer https://t.co/S1FyDvgdW0
— Manuel Ray Chavez (@BroncoManuel35) May 30, 2020
Awful news to hear tonight, but here's hoping Floyd Little can pull through, and beat this. Way before my time, but without 'The Franchise,' chances are the Broncos aren't in Denver. https://t.co/2TSyTxCSPA
— BurgessR – Leaving Earth on a Rocket Ship (@BurgessR18) May 31, 2020
I'm sorry to hear about the challenge my friend Floyd Little is facing, but I know that he, along with his wife Deborah, will beat cancer the same way he used to break tackles while wearing #44. pic.twitter.com/Ihqxff0NsV
Little, 77, was a three-time first-team All-American at Syracuse before going on to earn five Pro Bowl selections with the Broncos in the NFL. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Denver and Syracuse both retired his No. 44 jersey.
Paul Azinger is the perfect chap to meet for a round of cocktails at the 19 th hole. Face it, the guy likes to talk. Likes to laugh. Is passionate and intense. And does he have stories. In a life spanning 60 years now, Zinger won the 1993 PGA …
Paul Azinger is the perfect chap to meet for a round of cocktails at the 19th hole.
Face it, the guy likes to talk. Likes to laugh. Is passionate and intense. And does he have stories.
In a life spanning 60 years now, Zinger won the 1993 PGA Championship, 12 PGA Tour titles and two more on the European Tour. Captained the U.S. to victory in the 2008 Ryder Cup. Played on winning Ryder Cup teams in 1991 and 1993. Spent 300 weeks in the top 10.
He held his own against the best in the world, including Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and his late best friend, Payne Stewart.
And he kicked cancer’s butt.
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Now Azinger talks a great game as the lead analyst for NBC and Fox.
“Well, I love golf,” Azinger said in a chat with Golfweek. “I can’t tell you how much I love the sport and how much I love watching it. I love playing the game.”
While he’s “chomping at the bit” to get back to work, Azinger has kept busy sheltered at his home in Bradenton, Florida, since the COVID-19 global pandemic halted play on the PGA Tour in March.
“I just don’t let myself get bored as much as anything,” Azinger said. “Self-isolating isn’t too bad. I’ve done a lot of work around the house. I’m neater than I think I am. I can clean if I want to.”
The current state and the fear of the unknown concerning the coronavirus is mindful in some ways to Azinger’s successful battle against cancer that began in 1993 when lymphoma was discovered in his right shoulder blade. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments as well as Azinger’s perseverance conquered cancer.
“When I first heard the words, ‘You have cancer,’ immediately it was sort of a similarity to hearing there is a virus going around and we’re all going to have to shelter in place,” Azinger said. “When I heard what the treatment was for (cancer), that’s when I knew it was a big deal. This, you’re just trying to avoid the treatment.
“It’s a weird situation. For a long time there, we all but wondered if we could get it and could it make us sick enough that we could succumb. And that’s just a terrible feeling. And that was similar to the feeling I had when I had cancer, for sure.”
On a lighter note
Azinger’s love for motorcycles: “It’s a feeling of freedom.”
Playing against Tiger Woods at the zenith of his powers: “We were watching something we thought we would never see.”
His love for the Ryder Cup: “The whole patriotism aspect.”
Johnny Miller, Paul Azinger and Dan Hicks in the NBC booth during the third round of the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Azinger also addressed comments he made about Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood ahead of the final round of this year’s Honda Classic that turned him into a European Tour punching bag. One word – that – got Azinger in trouble when he said you have to win on the PGA Tour. Fleetwood, a five-time winner on the European Tour, was trying to win his maiden PGA Tour title.
“A lot of pressure here,” Azinger said on the broadcast. “You’re trying to prove to everybody that you’ve got what it takes. These guys know, you can win all you want on that European Tour or in the international game and all that, but you have to win on the PGA Tour.”
That European Tour. Oops.
“I’m sure I’ll be some bulletin board material for them at the Ryder Cup,” Azinger said. “I respect all wins. I try to use good grammar when I’m in the booth and I failed big-time on that one. And it didn’t come off quite as I hoped.”
Eventually, Azinger will get back into the booth and is a long way from sitting in a rocking chair and reminiscing about a good life lived.
“I’m still looking to make today a great day, tomorrow a great day,” he said. “I want to continue to try and achieve in charitable ways, be better as a person. I want to contribute to the game of golf in whatever capacity I can. Try to make the game grow and help the game come back from this devastating virus.”
Scroll up to watch Steve DiMeglio’s discussion with Paul Azinger.
Saturday the Orioles outfielder released the following video on Twitter, thanking fans for all their well-wishes and messages during this tough time
Former Notre Dame baseball player and current Baltimore Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini underwent surgery this week to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. There is no word on how long he’ll be sidelined, not like that feels important at this point.
Saturday the Orioles outfielder released the following video on Twitter, thanking fans for all their well-wishes and messages during this tough time.
Just wanted to reiterate how grateful I am for everyone during this time. Looking forward to seeing you all soon. For now, stay safe and healthy! pic.twitter.com/822b4Lqf74
The NFL is mourning the loss of Hall of Fame former defensive lineman Chris Doleman, who died Tuesday night at the age of 58 after a battle with cancer.
The NFL is mourning the loss of Hall of Fame former defensive lineman Chris Doleman, who died Tuesday night at the age of 58 after a battle with cancer.
The NFL is mourning the loss of Hall of Fame former defensive lineman Chris Doleman, who died Tuesday night at the age of 58 after a battle with cancer.
The NFL is mourning the loss of Hall of Fame former defensive lineman Chris Doleman, who died Tuesday night at the age of 58 after a battle with cancer.
