Washington Commander QB Sam Howel reacts to firing of head coach Ron Rivera

OF THE TAILGATE FOR THIS FOOTBALL SEASON FOR THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS. BUT IT’S FUTURE THAT HAS EVERYBODY TALKING. WE LEARNED EARLIER THIS MORNING, OF COURSE, THAT HEAD COACH RON RIVERA HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN SACKED AS THE HEAD COACH OF THE COMMANDERS. HE DID RELEASE A FULL STATEMENT JUST A SHORT TIME AGO, AND HE THANKED ALL OF THE GREAT FANS OF WASHINGTON, D.C, CALLED THEM PASSIONATE AND LOYAL, THANKED HIS COACHING STAFF, THANKED THE NEW OWNERS, SAID THAT THE TEAM IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT PART OF THAT PROCESS. HE UNDERSTANDS IT, SAYS HE’S GOING TO MISS ALL THE FANS,

MISS ALL THE PLAYERS AND MISS HIS FELLOW COACHES. NOW, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE SEARCH FOR NEW SIDELINE SERVICE IS UNDERWAY AND LEADERSHIP. BOB BARNARD HAS BEEN COVERING THE STORY FOR US THIS MORNING. HE JOINS US FROM ASHBURN NOW WITH MORE AS HE’S BEEN ABLE TO CATCH UP WITH SOME OF THE PLAYERS, INCLUDING SOME OF THE BIG NAMES THAT QUITE HONESTLY, BOB, THEY’RE NOT SURE ABOUT THEIR OWN FUTURE RIGHT NOW. >> THAT’S RIGHT. STEPHEN, AS A MATTER OF FACT, I DID GET A CHANCE TO SAY HELLO TO COACH. WE’VE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE

LOCKER ROOM THIS MORNING, AND WHEN I WENT IN LAST TIME, COACH WAS WALKING UP THE STAIRS FROM THE LOCKER ROOM TO THE FRONT OFFICES BY

HIMSELF, AND I JUST WALKED OVER AND SHOOK HIS HAND AND WISHED HIM WELL. AND HE SAID, THANK YOU. DIDN’T WANT TO QUESTION HIM OR TRY TO GRILL HIM THERE ON THE STEPS ABOUT HIS FUTURE, BUT WE CAN PUT IT ON THE SCREEN HERE. THE TWEET THAT THE TEAM HAS PUT OUT, THIS IS THE STATEMENT FROM COACH RIVERA AND STEVE PRETTY MUCH LAID IT OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, THANKING THE UNWAVERING LOYALTY

OF FANS AND SAYING HE’LL SEE EVERYBODY ON DOWN THE ROAD. I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOME VIDEO FROM INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM. PLAYERS ARE CLEARING OUT THEIR LOCKERS, TAPING UP THEIR BOXES. THERE’S COACH RIVERA THERE. THIS IS THE VIDEO THAT WE SHOT JUST A SHORT TIME AGO. INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM. PLAYERS SAYING GOODBYE. WHAT HAVE YOU. HEY THEY LOST TO THE COWBOYS YESTERDAY 3810. AND EIGHT GAME LOSING STREAK TO END THE SEASON AFTER WINNING THEIR FIRST TWO GAMES. THEIR RECORD IS FOUR AND PICK IN THE NFL DRAFT. SO YOU SEE THERE A LOT OF THESE

PLAYERS ARE GOING TO BE GONE. SOME WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR. AMONG THOSE WHO WE HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO THIS MORNING, JAHAN DOTSON, A WIDE RECEIVER WHO WAS AN EARLY PICK LAST YEAR, AND SAM HOWELL, WHO WAS THE QUARTERBACK. THEY’RE GETTING READY TO SAY GOODBYE NOW. >> IT’S ALWAYS TOUGH. YOU KNOW, ALWAYS THE END OF THE YEAR IS ALWAYS TOUGH. >> YOU KNOW JUST SAYING GOODBYE TO EVERYBODY AND UM, JUST GETTING THE NEWS ABOUT COACH RIVERA IS ALWAYS TOUGH. YOU KNOW UM, HE’S HE’S A GOOD MAN. GOOD COACH. UM, WAS WAS GOOD TO

ME. GOOD TO ALL THE PLAYERS HERE. UM, SO DEFINITELY THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING. HE’S DONE FOR ME AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES HE’S GIVEN ME. >> FOR SURE, THIS IS GOING TO BE AN OFF SEASON OF CHANGE. >> HOW DID THE PLAYERS EMBRACE GOOD THING? >> YEAH, I THINK IT CAN. I THINK, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY CHANGE IS ALWAYS YOU KNOW, IT CAN EITHER BE A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING, YOU KNOW. AND I GOOD HERE. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, MR. HARRIS AND HIS TEAM ARE GOING TO DO A GOOD JOB OF BRINGING THE RIGHT PEOPLE

IN HERE. UM, SO I THINK THERE’S DEFINITELY A LOT TO BE EXCITED ABOUT IT IS EXCITING BECAUSE MR. HARRIS IS THE FUTURE FOR US. UM, SO YOU KNOW, TO HAVE HIM SPEAKING SPEAK TO THE TEAM, UM, AND HAVE A, HAVE A OWNER WHO, YOU KNOW, WHO’S NOT AFRAID TALK TO US, UM, AND ENGAGE WITH US. YOU KNOW, IT’S DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE HIM JUST BEING AT BEING AT THE GAMES, BEING ON THE SIDELINE. YOU GET TO SEE HIM UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. YOU YOU KNOW HE’S DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY. UM, AND I’M SUPER EXCITED FOR

HIM. >> NOW JOSH HARRIS WILL BE ADDRESSING THE MEDIA AT 1:00. FOX FIVE. HE DID SPEAK TO THE PLAYERS EARLIER THIS MORNING AND THE TEAM ANNOUNCED THAT HE’S HIRED TWO, UH, PRO SPORTS EXECUTIVES, BOB MYERS, WHO WAS ONE TIME GENERAL MANAGER OF THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS IN THE NBA. JOSH HARRIS IS A FELLOW NBA OWNER, OWNS THE PHILADELPHIA 76 ERS. AND RICK SPIELMAN WHO WAS ONCE THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS. SO SPIELMAN AND MYERS WILL COME ALONG WORK WITH JOSH HARRIS MAGIC JOHNSON THE OWNERSHIP GROUP, TO FIND A NEW GM. START THE SEARCH

FOR A NEW HEAD COACH. WE’VE HEARD NAMES LIKE BILL BELICHICK, WHO’S PROBABLY COACHED HIS LAST GAME, STEVE WITH THE, UH, THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, AND PERHAPS JIM HARBAUGH, WHO’S COACHING THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES TONIGHT FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. I WILL TELL YOU, JUST FOR HISTORICAL SAKE, IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO TODAY THAT THE THEN WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM ANNOUNCED THAT JOE GIBBS WAS COMING BACK TO BE THE HEAD COACH FOR A SECOND TIME. WE’LL SEE IF THEY GET A STAR. UH, NAME LIKE THAT, OR SOMEONE OUT OF THE COLLEGE RANKS OR WHAT? WE’LL HAVE TO SEE. IT’LL

PROBABLY BE DAYS, WEEKS BEFORE THAT COMES ABOUT. GIBBS BACK INTO THE UNIVERSE IN THE CONVERSATION FOR A REASON THERE, BOB, YOU THINK WE’RE GOING TO GO ROUND THREE HERE? NO I DOUBT ROUND THREE FOR COACH. >> I MEAN, HE’S HE’S I THINK HE’S IN HIS 80S NOW. BUT IT DOES SHOW THAT WHO KNOWS WHO’S TO COME. >> YEAH. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. THE WHAT IF SEASON IS WELL UNDERWAY. AND YOU’RE RIGHT. YOU NAMED A COUPLE OF VETERAN COACHES THAT ARE POSSIBILITIES. OR THEY COULD GO WITH SOMEBODY