An emotional day for the Panthers locker room after saying goodbye to Ron Rivera

[Sir Purr]

There’s a lot in there.


But Olsen summed up the gist of it.


“The biggest consistent narrative is how much he meant to guys aside from just the fact that he was their football coach,” Olsen said. “Ron, hopefully, walked out of here with his head held high. He impacted a lot of people’s lives. You’re not going to find a person who has a negative thing to say about him.”


Quite the contrary. Wednesday was a day filled with messages of support for the former head coach.


McCoy was with Rivera for less than a season. But it was time well spent.


“He, more than any coach I’ve had, allowed us just to be us,” McCoy said. “He loved his guys. It just sucks to see him go.


“It’s not rare for a coach to care about his players. It’s rare for them to show it. You see and feel how much he cares. His actions showed it. That was one of his better qualities.”


Just about every Panther has a story that highlighted how much Rivera cared about the person, not just the player.


Olsen came to Carolina via trade in 2011 – the same year Rivera arrived. And Olsen had a lot going on at home after his son was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Rivera made sure Olsen was able to focus on his family.


“Last night I was texting with (Ron) and I just ended up scrolling through some of my text messages,” Olsen said. “At the top, the first like 20 texts I ever got from him back in 2012, not one had to do with anything other than how my family was doing. ‘Don’t rush back. Be there for your family, be there for Kara and for your kids.’ Just asking about me as a dad, as a person. That stayed true for nine years. That’s the biggest think I’ll take from Ron, is moments like that and experiences like that.”


Olsen was part of Rivera’s initial squad. He helped lay the foundation. By the time Trai Turner arrived, the Panthers had just won the NFC South – the first of three straight division titles.


“I walked into a great locker room with great players,” Turner said. “Great coaches. I think that paved the way to help me set myself up to succeed in the league. It’s something I’m grateful for.”