Commanders’ Ron Rivera calls Dan Snyder’s agreement to sell team a ‘relief:’ Felt ‘like a load was lifted’

Employees of the Washington Commanders, like the team’s head coach Ron Rivera, reacted to the news of Daniel Snyder agreeing in principle to sell the team to Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and New Jersey Devils (NHL) owner Josh Harris and his group for an NFL-record $6 billion the way many of the team’s fans likely did: with relief. 

“Kind of relief,” Rivera said Friday, via USA Today, when asked about his reaction to the sale. “It really seemed like a load was lifted because everybody was on pins and needles for the last couple of months. You kind of wondered what was going to happen.”  

Snyder continually made headlines for the wrong reasons throughout his tenure as Washington’s owner, between financial misdeeds and a “toxic” workplace culture. Rivera is likely looking forward to only answering questions about football for the foreseeable future. 

Any sale of the Commanders needs to be approved by at least 75% of NFL owners. Owners regularly meet in May for a spring meeting post-NFL Draft, where they could vote to officially finalize the sale.