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Washington coach Rivera says he has cancer
WASHINGTON, Aug 21, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Ron Rivera says he plans to continue
coaching the NFL’s Washington Football Team as he battles squamous cell
cancer, ESPN reported Thursday.
Rivera told ESPN he was diagnosed after finding a lump in his neck and that
the cancer is in the early stages and considered “very treatable and
curable.”
He said he told his players in a team meeting on Thursday night.
“I’m planning to go on coaching,” the coach said. “Doctors encouraged me to
do it, too. They said, ‘If you feel strongly, do it. Don’t slow down, do your
physical activities.’ But everyone keeps telling me by week three or four,
you’ll start feeling it.”
While Rivera plans to coach through cancer treatment, he could face
complications in that plan this season as the league grapples with the
coronavirus pandemic.
Rivera, 58, said he has a “Plan B” in place, but declined to elaborate.
In addition to guiding players through a training camp upended by the
pandemic, Rivera has been a key figure leading Washington during a turbulent
offseason that has seen owner Dan Snyder at last bow to pressure to drop the
team’s “Redskins” nickname, long considered offensive to Native Americans.
The team has also faced allegations from 15 women who said they were
sexually harassed while employed by the club.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1000 hrs