Washington Football Team Coach Declared Cancer-Free

ASHBURN, VA — Ron Rivera, the head coach of the Washington Football Team, is officially cancer-free. Rivera announced the update on his Twitter account.

In August, prior to the 2020 NFL season, Rivera stated that he had been diagnosed with squamous cell cancer. He received chemotherapy treatment during the season, and did not miss any games.

"Thank you everyone for your prayers, letters, texts and notes of encouragement and support," Rivera wrote on Twitter Thursday. "It truly made a difference in my treatment and recovery!" The Washington Football coach underwent chemotherapy during the NFL season, and stated in press conferences that he occasionally required IV treatments during games.

Rivera completed his initial course of treatment in October, according to posts by the official Washington Football Team accounts. The team's Twitter account posted a video of Rivera ringing a bell, signifying the end of his treatment, in October. Rivera underwent chemotherapy at the Inova Schar Cancer Institue in Fairfax.

Throughout the season, the team adopted "RiveraStrong" in support of their coach's fight with cancer. T-shirts with the phrase can be seen in the video celebrating the end of Rivera's treatment.

This season, the Washington Football Team finished with a record of 7-9 and won their division. They lost to the NFC champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.