Rivera emotional in Commanders’ locker room after win vs. Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

This past week has been a difficult one for Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera. Following the team’s loss to Minnesota last Sunday, the head coach flew across the country to attend the funeral of his mother, Dolores.

Less than one week later, the Commanders pulled off an epic upset victory over the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, Washington’s first game since Rivera’s mother died.

Following the hard-fought win, Rivera attempted to address his team with a victory speech before raw emotion took over. The head coach did his best to hold back tears before busting out six powerful words.

“My mother would have been proud,” Rivera said in front of his team before walking out of the locker room full of his players clapping.

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Once Rivera left the room, Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, a three-time team captain, took over.

“You can see how much that means to him,” McLaurin said. “But you can see how much it means to everyone in this locker room.”

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McLaurin wasn’t done yet, either. His energy ramped up as he gave a passionate postgame speech that energized every player in the visitor’s dressing room.

“We set the [expletive] tone. We took it to them,” McLaurin screamed. “We don’t have to take [expletive] from nobody. We set the [expletive] tone, man, offense, defense, and special teams. We come to practice and practice hard. We take it to people, we be opportunistic and we’re going to win games. … We’re going to stay humble. We’ve got a lot of things to fix. We’re going to go on the road again and try and get this [win].”

The whole sequence was a powerful moment and one that likely no Commanders player will forget anytime soon. Occasions like these are a reminder of what make sports so great.