John Harbaugh and Ron Rivera are great friends, so it isn’t a stretch to say that it was likely very tough for the duo to face off on the field Sunday afternoon.
Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens emerged victorious in the battle, putting together a 31-17 win over Rivera’s Washington Football Team. In the game, the score was much closer than the stats were, with the Ravens piling up 350 total yards of offense including a dominating 144 on the ground.
Still, early this week, all Harbaugh could talk about when meeting with the media was Rivera, his good friend in coaching circles. As he said, the fact that his team won the game didn’t matter in the end to the pals, especially considering the pair is closer in geographical proximity and will now be able to get together after the season plays out.
Coach Harbaugh on catching up with Ron Rivera after the game:
Harbaugh said:
“We talked before and after the game. We kind of made plans for after the season to get together with our wives, probably somewhere between Washington and Baltimore and get a good dinner and stuff. Great friends, just wished each other luck going forward, and Ron with his cancer treatments as well.”
Rivera continues to receive treatments for squamous cell carcinoma and has been courageous in his ability to remain coaching and leading his team. It’s nice to see Harbaugh get to connect with his good friend and wish him well after a hard fought battle.
Certainly, those well wishes provided by Harbaugh to Rivera are echoed by anyone who supports the Ravens.
John Harbaugh Pulling for Ron Rivera During Treatment
Speaking to reporters a few months back, Harbaugh explained that he and Rivera, now the head coach of Washington, go back a long way. As he said, his families have been friends for a long time and he has complete faith in Rivera being able to come out ahead during his fight.
Coach Harbaugh started his press conference today with a message of support for his friend @RiverboatRonHC:
Harbaugh said:
“Ron and Stephanie, our good friends. Good friends of Ingrid and I. We go back a long way. I love Ron and it’s a fight that he’ll conquer. Our thoughts and our prayers are with him completely. As he said in his text, they’ve got this and they’re gonna do great with it.”
The hope is that Rivera is able to fight it and win just as his friend Harbaugh predicts. That’s what everyone will now be crossing their fingers for in the weeks and months ahead.
It’s certainly nice to see Harbaugh be able to connect with Rivera and wish him well, which was a very classy move in the aftermath.
John Harbaugh’s Ravens Tenure
Harbaugh has been a great coach during his tenure with the Ravens. Even in spite of the playoff trouble this season, Harbaugh is 121-75 in his NFL career, and has one Lombardi Trophy to his credit. He’s also gone 10-7 in the postseason during his career.
The Ravens have been better off for having Harbaugh as their coach through the years, and a large part of his coaching intellect came from getting to work with others in the game who have made him better in the business.
This story only serves to prove how tight the bonds are in the league between coaches and how rock solid the fraternity is. It’s nice to see a pair of coaches from rival teams in close proximity remain so close.
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Ravens’ John Harbaugh Wishes ‘Great Friend’ Ron Rivera Well